Protector
by Oklina
Summary: What if the Guardians hadn't believed Mrs. Lin's story? What if they hadn't believed in magic? When Will came to Heatherfield, she had only wanted friends. Magic necklaces, talking appliances, and interdimensional monsters were not on the agenda.
1. Fairytale

I _LIIIIIIIVE_! Okay, now that I got that out of the way . . . what's it been? Two years since I last posted something on this site? Well, for the few that remember me, I do have a good excuse! For the last two years I've been writing a book! Yes, you read that right. A fantasy novel! I'm working on getting it published right now. So, yeah, I haven't dropped off the face of the planet.

About _this_ story: honestly, I never meant to write _any_ WITCH fanfictions. Then one day I was bored – or sick, can't remember – and decided to watch the first episode of WITCH. Well, I didn't like it. I mean I _liked_ it, obviously, but it could've been better. Before I knew it, I was rewriting the whole episode in my head. Then I got down to the computer and it literally all poured out. I couldn't stop. Avalanches got nothing on this story. I swear I've written forty pages in the last month! Anyways, long story short I decided I'd post it.

_Summary_: This is the episodes 'It Begins' and 'It Resumes' from W.I.T.C.H. rewritten for my own personal amusement – or therapy, haven't figured that out yet. Basically, what if the Guardians hadn't believed Mrs. Lin's story? What if Will Vandom had an actual personality (a/n: I was _very_ disappointed in Will's character. She has so much potential)?

_Warnings_: This story has _lots_ of outtakes from the show. I changed and played with them because I hate writing word-for-word as much as I'm sure you hate reading it, but there are parts I didn't change too much (mostly 'cause they're funny). This story is also OoC, but the only _really_ obvious one is Will. For the others I simply made them more realistic or emphasized some of their traits. I also warped the timeline, so be warned. Though, if it isn't about Will, it's not too drastic.

Other than that . . . enjoy! This isn't my best work, but like I said: it's for fun or therapy. I'm not trying to sell it.

Disclaimer: (this is so surreal, I haven't done these in _years_) If I owned W.I.T.C.H. (which I don't) it would be airing on ABCKids _and_ I'd be enjoying Season 3. As it is, all I have are home videos.

_2011 update_: no idea if replacing chapters activates any alerts on a story, so I decided to play it safe and put this in. Welcome to the new and improved Protector! Was bored with college and too tired to write anything original-ish so I decided to reread some of my old stories and when I got to this one, I thought, "Huh, this could be better!" So ta-da! The new and improvedness! Please enjoy!

**Protector: **Chapter 1

A new day, a new bed, a new room, a new school . . . Will sighed as she ticked off the items. Sheffield Institute looked just like all the others. Well, minus the lack of policemen patrolling the entrance, which was a definite plus.

Rain poured from the sky, streaking the window and blurring her view. It didn't matter; new could look so old sometimes.

"Well, here we are," her mom piped up cheerfully as the car coasted to a stop. The car was the only really _old_ thing they had. "Don't worry, you'll do fine! Have your umbrella?"

Will grimaced and held up the blue item.

"You really ought to have worn your raincoat, too."

Will snorted. "Mom, I've had that raincoat since third grade. It doesn't exactly _fit_ anymore."

Her mother, Susan Vandom, worried her bottom lip. "Still . . . oh well then, go on. Make lots of new friends today! I put a dozen extra cookies in your lunch! That should help break the ice with the other girls."

"Thanks Mom," Will muttered before jumping into the lashing rain. She fumbled desperately with her umbrella until it popped open, and then kicked the door shut, waving as her mom drove off. When the taillights of the car vanished around the corner, Will finished her thought with a sigh, "I'm sure that'll make me popular with the local bullies."

She pivoted to regard the Sheffield Institute archway. At least _that_ was unusual. The school was probably built by the mayor. A yellow school bus nearby gunned its engine and sped down the street, spraying Will with greasy water.

She absently shook her foot. Yep, definitely like all the others.

* * *

"Hey, check out the new girl!"

Will scowled, if she had a dime for every time she heard _that_, she'd be richer than the Queen of England. She kept walking.

"Hey _Wilma_!"

And a nickel for that one. She glanced over at the foursome lounging across their table, their science experiment an impressive plastic rocket. Will doubted it could fly. "It's Will."

"Okay," the chatty one with spiky orange hair and a pimply face agreed, "_Wilma_!"

Will rolled her eyes. "Real mature," she muttered.

"Hey! Will! Over here!"

Will looked up, spying a beaming Chinese girl waving at her. She struggled for a moment, trying to place the girl. Right, first period history class, sat in the back with an amber-haired girl. She vaguely recalled the two of them giggling all throughout the lecture on Genghis Khan. And there, unsurprisingly, was the amber-haired girl standing at an adjacent booth.

Will picked up the speed. As she was new, she couldn't exactly participate in the science fair, something she was actually thankful for. She liked science well enough – and it was probably the _only _subject she had a knack for – but school projects tended to drive her up the wall. They felt like a waste of time. So she was left to her own devices.

The Chinese girl put down her hand. "Don't worry about Uriah. He's like that to everybody. Just ignore him."

Amber-haired girl snorted. "Yeah, evolution did. One day we're expecting him to slither back into the water."

Will cracked a small smile. Slither was a good word. She might like this amber-haired girl. "So you know my name. That's hardly fair."

The Chinese girl blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm Hay Lin! Pleased to meet you!" She held out a hand.

Will took it. "Likewise."

"I'm Irma," amber-haired girl said and then jerked her thumb at the other two girls taking up residence at her adjacent booth. Will glanced over obligingly and then stared. A pretty blonde was smashing down a rather beautiful pink flower with her fists, muttering under her breath all the while. The other girl, an African with a snazzy hairstyle and big glasses, offered a shy smile, utterly oblivious to her friend's slightly . . . _questionable_ behavior. "That's Taranee Cook, grade-A genius, and the one with anthophobia is Cornelia Hale."

The blonde, apparently Cornelia, looked up. "Antha-what?"

"Anthophobia, or Anthrophobia," Taranee explained, "fear of flowers."

"_Flowers_!" Cornelia sputtered. "I do _not_ fear flowers! This one just won't die!"

Irma folded her arms with a satisfied smirk. "I rest my case."

"_Irma_!"

"So Will," Hay Lin asked drawing Will's attention, "how do you like Sheffield so far?"

"It's . . . interesting."

"Small, antique, and interesting." Taranee piped up, the shy smile returning. "I was the new girl last year."

"Say," Hay Lin began, a sparkle in her eyes, "we're going to my parents' restaurant after school, you want to come?"

Will stared. The invite flew completely over her head. She had, after all, only _met_ the girl two minutes ago. "_W_-_what_?"

Hay Lin gave a one-shoulder shrug, still smiling blithely. "Well, see my parents' own a restaurant downtown. It's not that far away. Just a twenty minute walk and Grandma usually makes us tea and she just baked some fresh cookies last night. Do you want to come?"

"Did she just invite new girl?"

Will's stunned gaze jerked away from Hay Lin's cheerful face to the adjacent booth in time to see Cornelia, who had finally stopped pounding her pink flower into the dust, plant a fist on her hip in pure incredulousness.

"_Cornelia_!" Taranee hissed, looking horrified.

A scowl worked its way onto Will's face. She wasn't going to pretend that the blatant rejection didn't hurt, but still, she was inclined to agree with the blonde. She _was _the new girl, and experience dictated that new girls' didn't get invited to outings at the drop of a hat. She turned back to Hay Lin, struggling to smooth away the scowl. "Thanks, but I don't think –"

"Oh come on!" Hay Lin pleaded, seizing Will's hand. "It'll be fun! Think of it as a way to get to know Sheffield better!"

"I-I don't –"

"_Please_!"

Will wilted under Hay Lin's big puppy dog eyes. "Well I guess . . . ."

"Great! We'll have so much fun! I've got a cell if you want to call your mom! Oh, you aren't allergic to anything, are you? Taranee's got this thing against shellfish."

Will batted aside the girl's happy babble. "I'm fine, really. And thanks. I've got my own phone."

Hay Lin nodded and continued her happy ramble. Will tuned her out. It couldn't hurt, could it? Besides, what else was she supposed to say when the girl wouldn't take no for an answer? She glanced over at Irma who smiled reassuringly.

* * *

The Silver Dragon was . . . out of place. It stood on a street corner downtown with skyscrapers all around it. Will idly wondered how the Lins managed to pay the mortgage. Or buy it in the first place, corner lots downtown cost a pretty penny.

Hay Lin took them through the back way. She introduced Will to a stooped, frail-looking old woman with big ears, calling her grandma. The other girls said their greetings and immediately scurried into a private room, arranging themselves upon the red plush bench. Apparently, this was a common occurrence.

Taranee dragged two chairs to the table, offering one to Will. "So you're the new girl, eh?" Hay Lin's grandma inquired.

Will grimaced. "Word travels fast."

Yan Lin chuckled. "Heatherfield isn't very large. How do you like your tea, dear?"

"I'm not much of a tea drinker."

"Well, we can't have that! I'll fix you a special blend, one of my favorites. Irma, I believe there are some cookies in the pantry. Fetch them please."

Will's eyes wandered over the muted orange walls. If it weren't for the dragons, the restaurant could pass as a cozy furnace. Potted plants added splashes of green to the décor and intricate Chinese designs decorated the walls and woodwork. It was quite nice and comfortable.

And yet she couldn't relax. It had been years since she'd last known anyone she could consider more than a passing acquaintance. After the first few moves, there hadn't been a point. Breaking through the barriers of established cliques was exhausting, thankless work that was often destroyed months later whenever she moved again. Never mind that she was a dismal failure at making friends to begin with.

So she had given up, slipping into the expected role of "the new girl." And now she hadn't a clue as to what she was supposed to do. If it wasn't for Hay Lin's extraordinarily authentic puppy dog eyes, she wouldn't have said yes.

Will shot a cursory glance at the girls, not at all surprised to find she was the subject of subtle and not-so-subtle scrutiny. The girls themselves . . . well, Will wasn't entirely sure what to think of them. There was Irma, sarcasm and wit just pouring out of her mouth with all the restraint of a gushing waterfall. Hay Lin, in contrast, was a perfect ray of sunshine, bouncing from one subject to another with barely a pause in-between. Taranee was shy and sweet and apparently smart to boot, though where that funky hairstyle fit in was a complete mystery to Will. She liked it though; she'd have to remember to mention that. Then there was prissy Cornelia with her designer clothes and snobby, rich girl attitude, possessing all the subtly of a jackhammer.

They were all so different from each other. It didn't make sense. And maybe that's what kept her in her seat, waiting to see how this would play out.

Or maybe it was the politeness drilled into her by her mother. One could never tell.

Irma clunked a platter of fortune cookies in front of Will and slid back into the booth. She picked one up and waved it at the door. "Mrs. Lin bakes these herself. I suspect her secret ingredient is chocolate." She nibbled on the corner of hers. "Although I haven't figured out if it's milk or dark."

"Chocolate, eh?" Will selected one. "Everything's good with chocolate."

"A girl after my own heart!" Irma grinned.

"So Will," Taranee asked, absently snagging a cookie, "where did you go to school before Sheffield?"

"Jackson. It's in Seattle, Washington. Before that we were in Michigan. My mom's job moves us around a lot." Will shrugged and broke her cookie. A little slip of paper fell out; the words '_You will make a new best friend_'stared up at her.

"What's your mom do?"

She shifted the paper out of view with her sleeve, hoping no one would notice or ask. The words cut a little too close to home for comfort. "She does consultant work for Simultech."

"Fascinating," Cornelia intoned, "but not caring. Has anyone noticed anything _strange_ happening lately?"

Irma snorted. "Like the conversation deviating from Cornelia Hale, the center of the universe? Nope, can't say that I have."

"Oh very funny, Irma."

Yan Lin bustled through the door and cleared her throat. "Is everyone enjoying their food?"

A chorus of "Yes ma'am" and "Of course" echoed about the room. Yan Lin smiled benignly and set her tray down, dividing the cups among the girls. "Good, good. Special blend for Irma. Mint for my Hay Lin. Green for Taranee. Peach for Cornelia with a dash of sugar. And here you are Will, a special blend with a spoonful of honey."

Will accepted the cup uneasily. Her mother was a coffee-addict and despite how good the stuff smelled, it tasted awful. There was no reason to expect anything different out of tea. "Thanks, Mrs. Lin."

"You are quite welcome. Now girls, I have a story to tell you."

Hay Lin turned bright pink. "Grandma, they don't want to hear a story."

"Oh, but I think they'll want to hear this one." Yan Lin placed a worn box on the table. It was a beautiful deep red enforced with brass and appeared to be quite old.

Hay Lin's eyebrows shot up. "What's in the box?"

Yan Lin merely hmmed and stepped aside, tapping the air with a boney finger. A circle of purple light sizzled to life, expanding to the floor and ceiling all the while spitting and crackling like lightning. Will jerked back, barely retaining her seat. She vaguely registered the other girls gasp. Taranee even jarred the table, upsetting the untouched tea cups.

The purple swirled into other colors, creating a moving picture of lights depicting what appeared to be a solar system, except it wasn't theirs, for it only had four planets. And Yan Lin stood next to this moving picture of lights as if it were an everyday theatre performance.

"The universe was once a single kingdom ruled by good, but evil began to take root. A veil was created to isolate the evil kingdom of Meridian from all other worlds. Without the protection of this veil, every world, including Earth, is in terrible danger."

As Yan Lin spoke, the sun – at least, Will _supposed_ it was a sun – was blackened out and tangled creepers with thorns sprouted from it, reaching for the other circling planets. It was too weird; in fact Will's brain seemed to have momentarily stopped working. Yan Lin's story wasn't even registering.

"Meridian has been overtaken by a powerful entity named Phobos, but he is not the legitimate ruler. They believe the true heir to the throne is somewhere here on Earth."

Honestly, it was starting to sound like fairytale story. Then the tangled mass was interrupted by a blazingly blue circle. Will flinched and covered her eyes. She heard Irma whimper, "H-Hay Lin? _W-what_ –?"

"But portals have begun to open in the veil, doorways through which evil can cross between worlds. There are people called Guardians whose job it is to close these holes, using their powers." Yan Lin snapped her fingers and the weird lightshow faded away, as if it had never been there.

Will tightened her fingers around the edge of the table, feeling the smooth wood beneath her palms, grounding her. Her sense of reality was still righting itself. Poor Taranee was latched onto both table and chair as if afraid a giant gaping maw might open underneath her and swallow her whole. Granted, at the moment Will wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it did. Irma and Cornelia both wore identical expressions of cornered animals; Irma was even hunched over, her hands entwined in her hair. Hay Lin simply looked gobsmacked.

"I became a Guardian when I was your age," Yan Lin continued, "but now the duty is passing to your generation." She paused, as if waiting for a reaction. Cornelia started working her jaw, but nothing came out, so Yan Lin approached the beautiful red box and opened it.

Will shoved herself against the back of the chair, as far away from the sparkling pink glow that emitted from the box as she could without actually getting up and running for the door. She might have tried, but her legs weren't exactly cooperating.

Taranee squeaked in alarm, shrinking back, as Yan Lin lifted a dazzling – literally, it was just a shade or two below blinding – pink orb into the air. It appeared to be a necklace. "This is the Heart of Candracar, which contains the elementary forces of nature. I knew the moment the five of you entered the restaurant I had found the new Guardians. In the last few days, you have all had unusual experiences, am I right?"

"Besides this one?" Irma's voice had a hysterical edge to it as she finally lifted her head. "I-I don't know what-what's going on but –"

"This is nuts!" Cornelia jumped to her feet, eliciting another squeak from Taranee. "Thank you for the snacks, but I'm leaving." She snatched up her bag.

Yan Lin frowned. "Cornelia –"

Cornelia flipped her long hair over her shoulder and glared at the old woman. "Thank you, but I'm _not_ interested." She stalked toward the door, pausing only when Taranee latched onto her skirt, and then proceeded to drag her new tagalong with her.

Hay Lin raised a quavering voice, "Grandma?"

Irma stood, using the table as leverage. Her legs looked about as shaky as Will's felt. There was also a green tinge to her cheeks. "I-I have to . . . ." She lurched to the door. Hay Lin was at her side in an instant, hurrying her out of the room.

Will watched all this in a daze. Her head felt like it was spinning and gravity seemed strangely absent – like she was floating. And the only solid thing, the only thing that felt _real_, was the table beneath her sweaty palms.

Then Yan Lin turned to her and the world crashed around her ears in a metaphorically deafening _boom_. "Will, please –"

Will didn't wait to hear what the old woman had to say. She ran.

* * *

Well, that's that! Review please! After two years, I miss those. Encouragements and advice . . . _wistful sigh_


	2. Mirror, Mirror

Holy smokes. I've got 9 reviews. Seriously, _would you look at that_! Jeez! I mean I have one-shots that have 11 reviews, but _9_ on the _first_ chapter of a _multi-_length story is . . . wow! I'm in awe! And what all you guys _said_! I can't thank you enough!

Anonymous Reviews:

Philip Gipson: I love WITCH too. It's original, funny, action-packed, and has all sorts of curveballs! I thrive on surprises in a story. Thank you so much for the praise! I'm so excited you like this story! Honestly, I put this up hoping to get maybe _one_ review. When I checked back the next day, I was literally dumbfounded! I had _three_! Anyway, I hope this helps you understand the first two episodes. Most of this chapter, though, isn't in the show. Just to warn you! Thank you again! I really enjoyed your review and I'll be sure to check those authors out!

Sailor Moon Fan: Oh, thank you so much for reading! And _reviewing_, too! Here's the second chapter. I hope you like it as much as the first! Though, most of this chapter isn't in the show. Still enjoy! And you had better read that book, missy!

Anonomous: Wow, thank you! I was a little afraid that having an OoC Will might turn people off! (even if I'm adamant she didn't have much of a personality to begin with) Can youtubers actually do that? Out of curiosity? Well, thank you for reviewing! It means a lot! And I understand what you mean about cartoons and anime. It's an adventure! And there's always a sweet innocence about it, no soap operas or wacky dramas. It just is. It's simple. Enjoy this chapter!

Here's Chapter Two, in all its lengthy glory! I hope you like it!

**Protector:** Chapter 2

Will slammed the car door shut and stomped towards Sheffield Institute. No manner of begging had budged her mom's resolve. The classic stomachache was laughed at and the sore throat merely dismissed. "If it gets worse just tell the nurse and I'll be there to pick you up."

Will sent a sour look at the blazing sun overhead, as if anything had the right to be cheerful with the foul mood she was in. She quickly scanned the schoolyard. Cornelia Hale sat on a bench talking with a girl Will hadn't met yet. Her bushy blonde hair made Will's look tame and was braided into pigtails.

Will snorted and continued her cursory glance. None of the other girls appeared to be within the vicinity.

"_Move it_! Girl in a rush coming through!"

Will yelped, clapped a hand over her mouth, and whirled around just in time to see Irma Lair dash down the sidewalk, battered textbooks under one arm and a backpack over the other shoulder. She caught hold of the stone pillar holding aloft the Sheffield archway and swung about to face the school. Instantly her whole demeanor sagged with relief. "Made . . . it . . ." she gasped, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead. She staggered into the schoolyard, grinning inanely at her success.

Will hesitantly followed, trying to swallow her pounding heart back into her chest. She was beginning to wonder if Heatherfield was one of those cities that went out of its way to make her miserable.

"Hey, it's _Wilma_!"

Will cringed. Apparently so.

* * *

Despite her predictions, the day was fairly mundane. Some bespectacled kid named Martin won the science fair. It turned out that Taranee's group was suppose to prove that too much fertilizer killed plants, and the flower Cornelia had been trying to kill . . . well, didn't die.

Will sat alone at lunch, studiously ignoring Hay Lin's half-hearted attempts to catch her attention. The afternoon was boring enough. Uriah and his goons ganged up on her in the hall, but the history teacher Mr. Collins shooed them off.

When school ended, Will was feeling pretty good about her avoidance tactics. Even with all the catch-up work she was loaded down with, she stepped outside with a rare smile on her face. The sun didn't seem all that threatening either.

"Excuse me, Will!"

Will stopped and turned around before her brain could register what her feet were doing. Fortunately, it wasn't any of the other girls, but rather the bushy blonde she had seen Cornelia talking to earlier. The other girl smiled and jogged over. "Hi! I haven't gotten a chance to introduce myself to you. I'm Elyon Brown."

Will nodded, but didn't offer her hand to shake. Since Elyon didn't either, Will figured it didn't qualify as rude. "Will Vandom, but you already knew that."

Elyon had the grace to smile sheepishly. "Yeah, news travels fast. Um, I actually need to talk to you. Do you mind?"

"No."

Elyon smiled again and joined Will as she walked down the steps. In spite of what Elyon Brown had claimed, however, she remained silent. Finally Will prompted, "So Elyon, you're friends with Cornelia?"

Again with the beaming. This girl was almost as cheerful as Hay Lin, though she was a less loud about it. "Yes, best friends since kindergarten. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Kindergarten?"

Elyon laughed. "No, Cornelia. She's," her smile faded and worry replaced the look in her eyes, "something's bothering her and I don't know what."

"Why don't you ask her?"

"I did, but Cornelia's too stubborn to realize something's wrong."

"So why ask me?"

"Well," Elyon drew the word out thoughtfully, "Cornelia and the others went to Hay Lin's yesterday and Taranee mentioned Hay Lin invited you too. I was just wondering if something happened while you were there."

And the sunlight was a bother again. Will dug her hands further in her pockets.

"Will?" Elyon prodded carefully.

Will shrugged. "Hay Lin's wasn't exactly a blast. Her grandma did a . . . magic trick I guess. It was . . . a little disturbing. Everyone was pretty freaked out about it."

"A magic trick?" Elyon repeated looking surprised. "I didn't know Mrs. Lin was into that sort of thing. She likes to joke around a bit, but she always seemed so practical."

"Maybe she's just getting old."

"Maybe," Elyon repeated dubiously. "Though it doesn't explain why Cornelia's avoiding Hay Lin like the plague."

Will raised her head. "She is? I hadn't noticed."

Elyon nodded, fingering her bottom lip in thought. "Yes. Taranee's rather skittish as well. What sort of magic trick was it?"

Will stiffened. Elyon was nice and all, but Will had spent all of last night suppressing the details and there was nothing that would make her relive that lightshow. "Well, you know, it was just a –"

"Cornelia, wait!"

Will and Elyon jerked to a stop as Hay Lin dashed down the courtyard to where Cornelia was bent over the water fountain. Elyon tensed. "Oh no. I'm not sure that's a – Hay Lin!"

"Martin! Another time!"

"But Irma –"

Will glanced to the side in time to witness Irma shove past the bespectacled science fair winner. She, too, called Hay Lin's name, but Hay Lin appeared to be momentarily deaf. "Cornelia, why are you ignoring me?"

Cornelia straightened and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "I'm not ignoring you Hay Lin. I just need my space right now."

"Is this about yesterday, because –"

Cornelia's back went rigid. "I don't want to talk about it."

"She didn't mean it –"

"So the floating light thing was a _joke_!" cried another voice. Taranee stood a little ways off clutching her books to her chest, her eyes wide behind her glasses.

Cornelia finally turned to regard Hay Lin with crossed arms. "It wasn't very _funny_, was it?"

"Cornelia, _please_," Hay Lin held her hands out imploringly. "I don't know what got into her! She's not like this, _you_ know that!"

"All I know is something's seriously wrong with your grandma. Is she taking her medicine, or did she skip her last psychiatric appointment?"

Hay Lin blanched, but before she could respond Irma had stalked over. "Hey, back off Cornelia! It's not Hay Lin's fault!"

"Whatever, just stay away from me, all right? Buddy up with new girl, if you want! I don't care. Just _leave me alone_!" Cornelia turned on her heel and stomped away.

Hay Lin looked like she'd been slapped in the face. She turned to Taranee. "Taranee?"

Taranee bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Hay Lin." She left without a backward glance.

Tears dripped down Hay Lin's cheeks. Irma gently placed an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, hey," she shushed, "it'll be all right. That's just Corny for you. And Taranee's scared of everything, don't you worry."

"But why would Grandma _do_ something like that?" Hay Lin sobbed. "I don't understand!"

Elyon wrapped her arms around herself. "Do you see what I mean? Could a magic trick _really_ disturb Cornelia like that?"

Will gazed down at the dirt between her tennis shoes. "Apparently." There ought to be thunderclouds overhead. "I got to go. It was great meeting you, Elyon."

Elyon started. "You too."

"Right, see you." Will waved and hurried away, in case Elyon decided to press her point. She shielded her eyes against the sunlight. If it got any brighter, she was going to scream.

* * *

Hay Lin sniffled and rubbed her eyes. Irma snapped her mouth shut. Tact, she needed tact. It just so figured that the one thing she needed was one of her weakest points. Cornelia of course held the gold star for bluntness, but in their little group of friends, Irma was a close running second.

Irma carefully hefted her backpack. She brightened. "Hey, Hay Lin? I've got a split in the side of my bag. Could you take a look at it?"

Hay Lin snuffled. "Sure."

Irma deflated. No offers of colorful patches with a free embroidery deal. Hay Lin was actually _depressed_.

Irma frowned and squinted down the sidewalk. Her turn was fast approaching. She took a deep breath and threw caution to the wind. She was never good at it anyway. "Hey, Hay Lin? You remember what your grandma said about unusual experiences?"

Hay Lin's head snapped up. "What? Oh no, you _too_?" Tears filled her eyes.

"No, no! That's not what I meant!" Irma waved her hands in front of her face. 'Cause caution to the wind had worked _so_ nicely before. Oh well, damage done. "I was just wondering if anything strange has happened to you like . . . well . . . ." Irma grimaced. After this was over, she vowed to check into online classes dealing in tact. "Like this." She grabbed Hay Lin's wrist and yanked her over to the road. Irma glanced side-to-side, making sure the street was deserted, and then squatted down next to a puddle leftover from yesterday's rain.

She poked it, concentrating. This _had_ to work. She lifted her finger and a swirl of oily water rose into the air. She waved her hand and the water twisted and turned like a translucent ribbon. She held it as long as she could and then the little corkscrew trembled and splattered all across the pavement.

Irma grinned and looked at Hay Lin. Her mouth was wide open.

* * *

Will slammed the door to the apartment shut. Blessedly cool air-conditioning washed over her. She sighed and dropped her backpack next to the coffee table. Homework could wait. She was in desperate need of comfort food.

Will rifled through the contents of the fridge. They really needed to go grocery shopping. She checked the cupboards and withdrew a package of cookies. Will snatched a glass from the dishwasher and opened the fridge again to grab the milk.

"You know, I just cleaned that!"

Will screamed and dropped the jug of milk. The liquid sprayed everywhere.

"Oh Bernard, you shouldn't scare Miss Will so. Apologize at once!" admonished another voice.

Will whipped around to stare at the refrigerator. Silence permeated the apartment. She leapt over the spill and peered into the family room. The television was black. "H-Hello? Is someone here? Mom?"

"Now really, Bernie, the poor girl's panicking!" snapped another, distinctly feminine voice.

Will pressed her back against the wall. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"You blind or something, girl?" leered the first voice.

"Bernie, you stop that right now or I'll give you a good wash myself! Honestly!" The feminine voice huffed. "Sorry about him, Will dear. Bernie's an original. He gets pretty cranky."

Will cautiously stepped to the middle of the room. A psychopath would've already shot her, right? "Who are you?"

"Well I'm Dina, dear! And I must say, it's refreshing to be able to speak to someone other than Bernie and Walt."

The second voice cleared its throat and said stiffly, "It's _Sir Walter_, if you don't mind. And you shouldn't forget Caroline."

"Yes well, Carrie doesn't talk much, does she?"

Will stared into the kitchen, but nothing moved except the oozing milk. She eyed it speculatively. "Where are you?"

"Well right in front of you, dear."

"_Where_?"

"I'm the stove, dear."

Will's gaze jerked to the oven. "The _stove_?"

"Yes, of course. Bernie's the dishwasher and _Sir Walter_ is the fridge."

"_Re_frigerator, if you don't mind. Miss Will, if I might introduce you to Caroline, the microwave. Say your greetings Caroline."

A monotonous voice murmured, "Hello."

Will gaped at the appliances. Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed in a dead faint.

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Will cracked an eye, trying to locate the annoying noise. It was infinitely harder than it should've been to open that one eye, but that might've been because there was something thick and heavy weighing down on it. She growled softly and tried wiggling her brow in an attempt to dislodge the item. When that didn't work, Will extracted her hand from the covers – covers that she belated realized weren't her covers.

Remembering the annoying beeping sound, Will finally took stock of her surroundings: white walls, white sheets, white curtain blocking the rest of the room, and a clear plastic tube extending from her hand to loop around a slender metal pole, which was making the beeping sound. Will groaned. She was in a hospital.

She glared at the white ceiling as she recalled the unusual events evidentially leading to this point. Talking appliances. It was a wonder she didn't suffer from a stroke. Or maybe that's what really happened. Maybe she had been suffering from sunstroke and had a hallucination.

Could one _have_ hallucinations during a sunstroke?

Will shook her head and immediately regretted it. Spots exploded in her vision and her head pounded with jagged pain. It felt like someone had taken a hot poker and jabbed it through her skull. She pushed herself into sitting position, holding her head between her palms.

"Oh, you really shouldn't sit up just yet. You took quite a fall, you know."

The bed thrummed to life and adjusted to fit into Will's current stance. Will relaxed with a grateful sigh into the pillow. She turned to the side of the bed. "Thanks, ma—"

There was no one there. Ignoring the dizziness, Will craned her neck every which way. Her section of the hospital room was empty, and judging from the faint snores on the other side of the curtain, there wasn't anyone – awake, at least – in the room. A cold feeling of wriggling worms sank into her stomach.

She swallowed and turned her gaze to the bed. It vibrated steadily. "Just a hallucination. Just a hallucination."

"Hallucination?" the bed piped up concernedly. "Hold on, I'll buzz the nurses' station."

Will screamed and leapt out of the talking bed. She didn't get too far; her legs were still entangled in the sheets. She crashed face first into the IV pole and barely got her arm up fast enough to take the brute of the impact with the cold floor. The IV ripped out, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

"Oh! Stay awake! You have to stay awake! _Doctor_! Stay awake, you have a concussion and must _stay awake_!"

Will groaned and gently prodded her cheek; she would have a livid bruise there in the morning. Her head was spinning strangely. She felt sick.

The curtain was flung aside. "Get her on the bed! Check her pulse!"

"Doctor, there's blood on the floor!"

"Will! Will, can you hear me?"

"Get the woman out of here!"

Will's eyes snapped open and she smacked aside the hands touching her. "_Mom_!"

"Will! Will, honey, are you all right?"

Will relaxed as she spotted her mother's wavy black hair. "I'm fine. Just fell."

"_Fell_," the bed scoffed. "_Leapt_ is more like it. And I had just finished telling her she shouldn't be sitting up!"

Will stiffened and shot the bed a cursory glance. Her mom cupped her chin and examined her head. "Oh honey, don't you scare me like again."

"Sorry," Will offered automatically. Her eyes narrowed as the bed continued ranting. No one else seemed to notice.

"I found the blood sir." A nurse held up the IV. "She must have yanked it out when she fell."

The doctor nodded and nudged Susan out of the way. He inspected Will. "No harm done, just a few bruises. You were very lucky, girl. Get her back on the bed."

"NO!" Will flinched at her own shout. But there was nothing that could get her back in that bed. "I-I'm fine. _Really_! Can't I just go home? I've got homework and . . . and other stuff. _Please_. I've done nothing but rest for the last couple hours."

The doctor pursed his lips. He didn't look too friendly. "I strongly advise against it, especially after this little mishap. I'd rather keep you here for observation overnight to make sure you don't have a relapse and the swelling in your head dies down."

"But –"

"No buts, Will," her mom murmured. "You'll do as the doctor says."

* * *

Will snuggled under her covers. Home sweet home. She almost snorted at the irony. Still, anyplace was welcome after that nightmarish hospital. It was a wonder she hadn't convinced herself she was crazy. Between the talking bed – which no one but her could hear – and the hourly checkups all throughout the night, she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

Oh well, didn't matter now. She was confined to the bed for all of today, doctor's orders. No school, and with her mother working, there was no one to nag her about getting her homework done. Will could sing! Instead, she contented herself to yield to the peaceful lulls of slumber.

"Will. _Will_."

Will grunted.

"Will, your mom told you she wanted you to work on your homework and if you don't start now, you won't finish it."

Will's eyes snapped open. "Oh no."

She sat up, clutching the covers to her convulsively. Slowly she scanned the room.

There was an exasperated sigh at the end of her bed. "Will, did you hear anything I said?"

Will carefully extracted her legs from the sheets and crawled to the foot of her bed. She peered down at the open book bag and scattered textbooks. There, on her history worksheet, was a purple calculator. It was on.

"Oh good," a jagged line appeared on the screen moving in time to the voice's cadences, "you're up!"

Will sprang off her bed and through the door. Her name echoed down the hall, being picked up by the other appliances and electronic devices. She paused long enough to grab her tennis shoes and then dashed out of the apartment, yanking them on as she ran.

* * *

Will wasn't quite sure how she remembered the route to the Silver Dragon, but she wasn't about to stop and ask questions. Especially since the only things likely to answer were _supposedly_ inanimate objects. When had life gotten so stressful?

Will bypassed the front doors without a second thought, careening down the back alley, and slammed open the back door. Her gaze focused on the stunned Yan Lin standing at the counter with a sponge in one hand. Will opened her mouth, and then realized she didn't have a clue as to what to say.

Yan Lin tossed the sponge into the sink. "Perhaps I should make some tea."

Taking that as an invitation, Will stepped inside and closed the door quietly behind her. She stood uncertainly on the mat.

"Take a seat." Yan Lin inclined her head to the island.

Will slipped onto the stool and stared at her hands as Yan Lin meandered around the kitchen, humming softly under her breath. Will didn't even protest when a steaming cup of tea was pressed into her palms. Yan Lin pulled a stool around to the opposite side. "It's cool enough. Drink, it'll make you feel better."

Will frowned, but obligingly lifted the cup to her lips. A burst of herby flavor slid over her tongue with a hint of sweetness. Her eyes widened.

Yan Lin smiled knowingly. "Good, eh? My special blend with a spoonful of honey. I noticed you didn't get around to trying it last time."

Will nodded and took another sip.

After a moment Yan Lin inquired, "Is there something you wanted to ask me?"

Will reluctantly put down the tea. "Yes. What – What did you mean – when you said 'unusual circumstances'?"

Yan Lin raised her eyebrows. "The Guardians hold sway over the four elements: earth, water, air, and fire. As a new Guardian, with no control over your abilities, you will have noticed one of the four elements reacting strangely to you. For instance, my granddaughter is the Guardian of Air. She sneezed this morning and rocked the entire restaurant. Have you been experiencing any unusual circumstances?"

"Okay, for the record, your story is absolutely crazy. I'm _not_ saying I believe you, but," Will grimaced, "the alternative is probably worse. So hypothetically, if everything with an electrical current suddenly started talking – without the luxury of having a mouth – under which element would that fall? Fire?"

"Mm, I see. No that would not fall under fire."

Will deflated. She was insane then. Fantastic.

"However," Yan Lin continued, "remember there are four elements, yet five Guardians. One of the Guardians binds the others and unites them with the Heart of Candracar, summoning and magnifying their powers."

"So, wait, you're saying that's me?" Will frowned. "What's the Heart of Candracar?"

"Didn't any of you girls pay attention?"

Will blinked in surprise and shrugged. "Sure, to the floating lightshow of another galaxy."

Yan Lin laughed. "Very well, I deserved that. I'll be right back."

Will was finishing her tea when Yan Lin returned, the beautiful red box under her arm. "Oh!" Will exclaimed. "You mean the glowing necklace!"

"Yes," Yan Lin pursed her lips as she set the box down, "the glowing necklace, properly called the Heart of Candracar. Let us see if it recognizes you."

Will stiffened. "What –"

Yan Lin lifted the lid. Pink light burst from its confines. Will jumped off the stool, almost falling in her haste.

"Stop Will!" Yan Lin commanded. Will froze. "The Heart will not harm you. Calm yourself."

Slowly, the pink orb levitated into the air, the slender chain floating about like a ghostly specter. It drifted towards Yan Lin, who didn't even flinch. Then it slowly moved towards Will. She gulped, but held herself still. The orb hovered inches from her face.

The light exploded, blinding in its brilliance. Warm waves of comfort and _rightness_ encompassed her, soothing away the worries and frustrations that had been clinging like dusty cobwebs to her for _years_. It felt like the warm embrace of her mother's arms and the scent of wet pine and freshly baked cookies. It felt like _home_ and she relaxed into it, a smile spreading across her lips.

Will automatically held out her hands. The Heart glided into them and she pressed it to her chest, above the spot where her own heart beat.

Yan Lin smiled warmly. "Welcome, Will, to the Guardians of the Veil."

* * *

"Grandma! We're back – oh!" Hay Lin stopped short at the sight of Will Vandom sitting in her kitchen. "Will! What are you doing here?"

Irma peered over Hay Lin's shoulder. "Will? What happened to your head?"

Will started and fingered the stark white gauze taped over her temple. In all the craziness, she'd almost forgotten it was there. "I, uh, fell."

Irma blinked. "Must've been some fall."

Yan Lin stepped into view, wiping her soapy hands on a towel. "Ah, there you girls are! Will is here to practice with you."

"Practice?" Hay Lin inquired. "Wait, you mean Will – what element are you?"

"Err . . . electricity?"

"Electricity? But I thought –"

"Will is the leader of the Guardians," Yan Lin interrupted. "She is the Keeper of the Heart. Now, I've packed you all some snacks in case you get hungry."

Will awkwardly took the basket from Yan Lin. "Thanks, Mrs. Lin."

"Have fun girls!"

* * *

Will hefted the basket, dubiously wondering if their stomachs could handle the weight loading her arms down. She trailed behind the two other girls for two reasons: one, she didn't know where they were going, and two, they kept _looking_ at her.

After what must have been the twenty-sixth time, Will snapped, "What, do I have something on my face?"

Hay Lin squeaked, jumping a foot in the air. Irma, however, crossed her arms, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What made you believe Mrs. Lin's story?" she demanded.

Will dropped the basket. It was heavy and this looked like a confrontation. "Who said I believe her?"

"Then why are you here?"

"Why are _you_ here?"

Hay Lin stepped between them. "Guys, really! Could we not fight?"

Irma huffed and stalked off. Will scowled and stooped to pick up the basket. She was surprised when another pair of hands grasped the handle as well. Hay Lin smiled shyly. "You shouldn't antagonize her. Irma's been really stressed lately."

"Yeah?" Will grunted as she and Hay Lin lifted the basket. "She's not the only one."

"It's not her powers, if that's what you're thinking. After the initial shock, she thought it was pretty cool! She discovered her powers before me, you know. She accidently flooded the bathroom."

"And you sneezed, rocking the restaurant."

Hay Lin giggled. "Yeah, and wrecked my room. Grandma was good about it, though, and helped me fix it up. What about you?"

"My dishwasher yelled at me."

Hay Lin blinked. "Your _dishwasher_?"

"Mm hmm. His name's Bernie, or, at least, that's what the stove told me."

"So wait, you can make stuff _talk_?"

Will shrugged. "Anything with an electrical charge. I just haven't figured out how to turn them off yet."

"Really? But that's so cool! It's like having a thousand new friends!"

Will stared at Hay Lin. "Are you always this chipper?"

Hay Lin blushed. "Um . . . I guess. Is that a bad thing?"

Will frowned. "I don't know. I guess not. Why is Irma stressed anyway, if it isn't about the . . . powers?"

Hay Lin sighed. "It's Cornelia. And Taranee. Irma's angry at them for not listening to her. You were out today so you didn't see the fight. I mean Taranee didn't really do anything, but she's scared, you know. I can't blame her, I was too."

"So it's mostly Cornelia."

"Mostly, yeah."

Will shifted her grip on the basket. "So, ten bucks says Cornelia gets fire."

Hay Lin's head snapped up. Her eyes were wide.

Will chuckled self-consciously. "Okay, no betting. Sorry."

"No, it's okay." Hay Lin smiled. "Though you're probably right. That leaves Taranee with earth."

Will thought about it and nodded. "She's certainly the down-to-earth, no-nonsense type."

"Oi!"

Will and Hay Lin looked up. Irma stood a distance off the sidewalk, waving her arms. "You coming or not!"

* * *

Will eyed the area critically. They were at the foot of the suspension bridge and Will wasn't impressed. The only cover from prying eyes was underneath the bridge and the entire area was trashy. Granted it didn't look like a place someone would voluntarily visit, which was a plus.

Will toed aside a paper napkin and a crushed soda can. "So this is where you guys have been practicing?"

Irma nodded, looking rather proud. "Yep, it's perfect!"

Will had other words to describe the place, but held her tongue. "What now?"

Irma and Hay Lin shared a glance. "Well," Hay Lin began, "Grandma said the Heart of Candracar is supposed to magnify our powers. Perhaps we should figure out how it works."

"Before Will has had time to practice?" Irma asked pointedly.

Will crossed her arms. She liked Irma better before the Silver Dragon incident. "What powers? I make appliances talk by standing in the same room. Not much to practice there."

"Can we see the Heart of Candracar?" Hay Lin interjected.

Will dug the orb out of her jacket pocket. Its glow was muted, much to Will's relief. It would be a bit awkward to walk around with her shirt lit like a neon sign.

"It's so pretty!" Hay Lin gushed.

Irma peered over Hay Lin's head. "Not going to argue there. So what do you do with it?"

"Well, it's a necklace, isn't it?" Hay Lin said. "She's supposed to wear it!"

It seemed reasonable . . . too reasonable. Will grimaced. This magic stuff was starting to get to her. She looped it over her head and let the stone thump against her sternum.

She looked at the two girls, who merely watched her expectantly. Will raised an eyebrow, but before she could open her mouth to comment on the absurdity of the situation, the weight around her neck disappeared. The orb flew up until it was staring into Will's wide eyes. Her breath caught in her throat. There were _things_ swimming in the center.

It flashed. Will cried out, raising an arm to shield her eyes. Then her feet left the ground.

"_Will_!"

"Get me down!" she shrieked, trying to jerk the deceptively fragile chain from her throat. It wasn't working too well.

"Will, what did Grandma say?" Hay Lin cried.

"_Say_? I'm _flying_! _Get me down_!"

"_Think_ Will! We can't reach you! You have to do it!" Hay Lin wrung her hands nervously. "Irma?"

Irma shook her head, mouth agape. "Don't look at me. It wasn't my idea."

Will grasped the chain, more to feel like she was holding onto something rather than being suspended in space. She clenched her eyes shut, desperately trying to ignoring the nausea rolling in her stomach. "Think, Will, think!" What had Mrs. Lin said about the Heart? It binds the Guardians and it . . . oh. It was like a light switch had flipped on. Will's eyes snapped open, her mouth all but moving on its own accord, "Guardians Unite!"

Rays of light exploded from the Heart, blinding in their brilliance. Two ribbons of what looked oddly like a gust of condensed wind and a stream of water shot out, encasing Hay Lin and Irma in their folds. Then pink light obscured Will's vision and gravity completely vanished. She couldn't tell up from down or right from left. A strange, muted buzzing filled her ears and, for a split second, she felt her heart beat in sync with the pulsating pink light that surrounded her.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Her feet touched the ground and her knees almost gave out. Now she knew why sailors always kissed the shore. She might have tried it too, but she didn't fancy her chances of standing up again. Her legs felt like jell-o.

She pressed a palm against her racing heart, willing the world to stop spinning, before she finally turned to look at her companions. Her jaw dropped.

Hay Lin stood opposite her, gaping in likewise astonishment. Her clothing had been replaced by a skin-tight turquoise shirt – if one could call the skimpy, sleeveless top a shirt – a lavender skirt with slits down the sides to show off the turquoise and green striped stockings, and her old orange tennis shoes were now purple and resembled what Will had always imagined Santa's elves might wear.

Irma had her back turned slightly towards them, staring down at herself with a dumbfounded expression. Gone were her blue jeans and red t-shirt. In their place was a skin-tight turquoise top, scoop-necked and with long-sleeves, a lavender miniskirt, the same striped stockings, and purple, ankle-high boots. But that wasn't the most startling feature. Protruding from Irma's shoulders was a pair of _wings_. A pair of honest-to-goodness _fairy_ wings!

Will quickly looked down, and that's when she realized that the wardrobe wasn't the only thing that had changed. She hadn't been quite so curvy last she checked, or tall, and the perfectly flat stomach was definitely new. Will raised her arms. A lavender top with flaring sleeves fitted her as if it were a second skin. She too wore a miniskirt, turquoise, with two swirls framing her exposed bellybutton. The trademark stockings and purple shoes were also there, though her shoes stretched to her knees and were unquestionably go-go boots.

"Holy cow," she muttered faintly.

Irma looked up. "What – What happened?"

Hay Lin suddenly gasped. "What do we have behind us?"

Will craned her neck and sure enough, gauzy green fairy wings were connected to her shoulder blades.

Hay Lin squealed. "They're wings! We've got wings!"

"They're not _really_ wings," Will said, stretching out a finger to touch Hay Lin's. They felt insubstantial, almost like they weren't even _there_. "They're so _tiny_. And if they were wings, when we went like this we'd –" Will shrieked as the impossibly tiny and insubstantial wings flipped her into the air.

"We can fly!" Hay Lin cried, leaping into the air like she was born a bird.

Will squeaked as the air currents from Bird Hay Lin spun her like a top. "_Irma_! Help! Please!"

Irma cupped her hands around her mouth. "Try flying to the left!"

"_How_?"

"How should I know?"

* * *

The sun crept towards the horizon and the temperature began to drop, bringing with it the crisp smells of autumn nights. Crickets crept from their hidden niches, chirping cheerfully as darkness slowly descended over the city.

Will gingerly massaged her behind. She'd finally gotten the hang of flying – mostly in a straight line. Though despite the numerous bruises she'd have in the morning, she felt pretty good about herself. Something about flying in fairy outfits made this whole craziness more bearable.

Irma shivered in the night air, wringing water from her hair – one of her practice attempts that had ended in a one-sided water fight, of which Irma hadn't come out as the victor. "It's getting cold."

Will nodded. "And it's getting late. I think we've destroyed enough of Heatherfield for one day." She held out her hand and the Heart of Candracar phased through her chest, coming to rest in her palm – which, all things considered, was kind of convenient. With a soft _whoosh_, the fairy outfits disappeared and the ground felt strangely close.

Irma stretched, her spine popping. Then she glanced around. "Hey, where did Hay Lin go?"

Will froze. "Oh no."

Irma's jaw dropped. "You didn't!"

"I thought she had landed!"

A scream interrupted Irma's next statement and a small crash made them both wince. "Hay Lin?"

Two legs protruded from the garbage heap, and then a hand waved woozily about. "I'm all right."

Irma shook her head, a fond smile working its way across her face. "Come on. Let's get out of here. I still have homework to do."

Will stopped dead. Cold dread washed over her. "_Homework_? I still have yesterday's and today's to do! And my _mom_! What time is it? I'm supposed to be in bed!" Will burst into a sprint. "I am _so_ going to get grounded!"

"Wait up!" Irma cried.

"Irma?"

Irma paused, glancing behind her. Her bag slipped from her limp fingers. "_Will_?"

Will glanced over her shoulder, still running, and promptly fell flat on her face. She pushed herself onto her knees and stared. Hay Lin was still sitting in the garbage heap, but not two feet from her, hovering a yard in the air, was a glowing blue circle.

"Will, what did you do?" Irma demanded, taking a step back.

"_Me_? I didn't do anything! I make appliances talk and I can fly! I _don't_ zap blue circle things into the air!"

Blue bolts of electricity shot out from the circle. Irma flinched. "Hay Lin! Get away from there!"

Then something very solid, and very not blue, flew out of the circle. Hay Lin shrieked and lunged out of the way, skidding painfully across the grass. Will scrambled over to Irma, her eyes wide in disbelief. "It's a boy!"

But she didn't get a chance to move closer, or to really do _anything_, because at that moment Irma screamed. "Look!"

Will followed the trembling finger. In the blue circle was . . . well, to Will it looked a bit like a gigantic woman with the long, flowing hair. Right up until a claw extended through the circle.

The Heart throbbed, burrowing into the side of her stomach with an urgency that made Will's head spin. Heat soaked through the layers of cloth, warming her skin. Will didn't need a second urging. She dug the Heart out of her pocket, shouting, "Guardians Unite!"

Pink light flooded her vision and then she was again fairy-girl. And looming over her, far too big to be realistic, was some sort of snake-man. It was long and scaly, with red markings around its vaguely humanoid face and a forked-tongue which slithered around its pearly white fangs – fangs that must've been as thick as Will's _arm_. Its tail didn't even come all the way through the blue circle.

Irma flung her arm out, hand forming the classic gun pose. "Get back!" she snarled and water squirted out from her finger. It was a rather unimpressive display, but her aim was dead on. Water sprayed into the monster's eyes and the thing roared in – pain or anger, Will wasn't entirely sure. But it was _deafening_.

The monster knocked Irma aside like she was a fly. She splashed into the shallows of the river, and, to Will's horror, didn't get back up. She had barely taken a step in the girl's direction when the snake-man's head whipped around to regard her. She didn't know how long it stared at her, or how long she stared into its cold yellow eyes, unable to move or even _breathe_. She had never felt so scared in her life.

Then, suddenly, the glare was gone, and the monster turned, reaching one scaly claw towards the boy in the garbage heap. It snagged the back of his coat, lifting him into the air as if he were no lighter than a feather. He scrabbled desperately at the collar of his shirt, coughing and gagging as the fabric was pulled taunt against his throat. His feet kicked uselessly in the air.

"_No_!" Hay Lin sprung out of nowhere, arms latching around one of the boy's legs. "Let him go you monster!"

The monster growled, swinging its prize in the air, trying to dislodge Hay Lin's grip. It wasn't working. Little Miss Chipper was as ferocious as a mother lion. Blasts of cold air beat at the snake-man as Hay Lin's wings went into overdrive.

Yet, it wasn't enough. Hay Lin's feeble strength paled in the comparison to the snake-man's massive biceps and, ever so slowly, he began to recede into the blue circle.

Will clutched the Heart, wanting to do something, _needing_ to do something. But . . . _what_? What could she do? Sic the streetlight on it? Punch the thing? She doubted she could get close enough even _if_ her legs were willing to cooperate, never mind cause any damage.

Then she locked gazes with the boy. His green eyes flashed in recognition. "Close it!" he choked out. Will was amazed she even _heard_ him. "Close the portal!"

The portal? "_How_?"

"Use the crystal!"

Will held the Heart out towards the blue circle . . . portal . . . thing. A beam of pink light streamed out, but it was too slow. Hay Lin lost her grip and fell to the ground. The boy's outstretched hand disappeared into the portal and it closed.

Will stared at the empty air, Heart still clutched in her outstretched hand.

* * *

Okay, that's the end of it. Please review! Tell me what you think!


	3. Shade of the Red, Red Rose

WAHOO! 6 reviews! Thank you all so much!

Anonymous Reviews:

Emily: _grabs WITCH comic, turns on bright light, flips through comic, squints_ Omigosh! You're right! Caleb _does_ have green eyes! _squints again_ How the blazes did you see that? Oh well, thank you for telling me! I've changed the references in this chapter, but if I mess up again, please let me know! And thank you so much for reviewing! It's always a relief to know someone likes my story.

Philip Gipson: I've always liked Elyon. She's such an interesting character to write! As for Will fainting, I have no idea where that came from, lol. It just seemed the right thing to do. Plus it was fun! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I've fixed 'Candracar' and the eye problem. Thank you for pointing it out! Oh, would you know how to spell Blunk's species? I've spelled it as 'Pasling' in the rough draft, but I'm probably wrong. Thank you so much for reading this story and for all of your encouragement!

_Notes:_ As two wonderful reviewers have pointed out, Caleb has green eyes, not brown. So don't think Caleb's some weird shifter or Will's having memory loss (or your dear author is having memory loss, lol). AND PLEASE READ NOTICE AT THE END! Thank you!

_2011 Edited Notes__: _I _could_ just change the actual notes and be done with it – no one would be the wiser for it – but it amuses me to randomly go back and reread my old fanfiction stories, old author notes and all. So, _anyways_, all "Candracars" and "green eyes" have been edited from previous chapters. Yay! Though, I still swear that – unless you're looking for it – Caleb's eyes look brown. _shrugs_ I'm stubborn that way.

**Protector: **Chapter 3

"I see. What did he look like?"

Will grimaced and laced her fingers through her hair, irately pulling at the roots. "_I don't know_! He was just a boy. And it happened so fast." Will watched as Yan Lin poured more tea in her cup. "He had green eyes."

Irma cocked her head. "You noticed his eye color, but not the rest of him?"

"He _looked_ at me, Irma. He looked at me like I could help him. But I couldn't! I just _stood_ there, and – and then I was too _slow_ . . . . What good is being this so-called leader if I can't even fight?"

Yan Lin gently squeezed Will's shoulder. "There are other ways to fight besides powers, Will. It's just a matter of finding them." She turned to the others. "Don't blame yourselves for what happened. It was your first encounter with a creature from Meridian. You did the best you could do, and next time you'll do better."

Irma dropped her chin into her hand. "Well, that's encouraging. Though, you have to wonder if we could've beaten that creep had Taranee and Cornelia been there."

"They will come eventually," Yan Lin told her demurely.

Hay Lin finished scribbling on a piece of paper. "The monster looked like this, Grandma."

Yan Lin accepted the drawing, and quickly set down her teapot, sinking into a nearby chair as the blood drained from her face. Hay Lin stood up, alarmed, but Yan Lin waved her off. "Lord Cedric," she hissed. It was the first time Will had heard something other than calm patience or warm acceptance in her voice.

It sent chills up her spine.

Irma raised her head, an eyebrow arching in faint amusement. "Lord? They've got pretty low standards for knighthood over there."

Yan Lin carefully placed the drawing of the snake-man on the table, absently replying, "Lord Cedric is not always in this form."

"Form? You mean he has others?" Irma snorted. "Well, I suppose that's good news for his wife."

"Irma!" Hay Lin snapped. "This is serious!"

"_I know_!" Irma lowered her eyes to the table, shoulders slumping in exhaustion. Her damp hair hung in her face, accentuating the pale skin and drawn features. "You think I'm not scared?"

"We're all scared," Will interjected, "and we're going to need all the help we can get. Cornelia and Taranee should have noticed something by now. I'm going to try talking to them tomorrow."

Irma snorted, idly swirling her straw in her glass of water. "I've already tried that."

Will massaged her non-bandaged temple. "Well, now it's my turn. Mrs. Lin, what can you tell us about this Lord Cedric guy?"

Yan Lin sighed, looking far more wearied than Will had ever seen her before. "He is Phobos's most trusted advisor and is the Commander of the Meridian Army. He is devious and cunning, loyal to only Phobos, and is a vicious warrior. He has some magic, but when I knew him, he preferred to fight with brute strength."

Irma grimaced. "Lovely."

Yan Lin stood, slowly walking over to the window of the Silver Dragon and looking out into the blackness beyond, as if she could see something out there that the rest of them couldn't. "I had hoped," Yan Lin murmured, and Will had the funniest suspicion that the old woman's hands were trembling, despite the fact that she couldn't see them, "that you would have had more time to prepare. You only have each other and you've begun an adventure which I am afraid you will need all of your talents and strengths just to survive."

"You know the 'lovely' part was sarcasm," Irma pointed out.

* * *

Will debated the doorknob. It was plain for a knob, cheap. The hollow, silvery type that needed a key to unlock it and never seemed to get warm no matter how long one kept their fingers curled around it.

Will pinched the bridge of her nose. Her head was swimming and she _really_ wanted to curl up somewhere and fall asleep. Unfortunately, her bed was on the other side of this doorknob, along with her mother. What to say . . . . _Oh hi Mom! I know you told me to stay in bed all day and get my homework done, but then the calculator starting talking. Yeah, I know, crazy, but wait 'till I tell you about the glowing necklace and thirty-foot-whatever snake-man I met today!_

Will cringed. The movie producers never did tell how Superman got his articles written or what he told his landlord about his random vanishing acts. His landlord probably hadn't care.

Will took a deep breath and turned the knob.

"Will? Is that you?"

Will stiffened as footsteps approached from the kitchen. She pasted on a smile. "Hey Mom."

Her mother turned the corner, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. But there was no frown. Which meant she wasn't completely mad. Why wasn't she completely mad?

"Did you have fun at the Lins'?"

Will's jaw dropped. She couldn't help it. "What? How did you –"

"A Yan Lin called here saying you had dropped by. Mind telling me what possessed you to take a walk after I specifically told you – and the doctor told you – to rest in bed?"

"I – ah . . . wasn't planning on a long walk. Just need to get some air and then started thinking and then I was at Hay Lin's. Funny how things like that happen." Will shifted nervously. Mrs. Lin should've warned her.

Her mother nodded slowly. "Hysterical. Well, since you're all chipper this evening, why don't you actually try getting some of your homework done?"

Will wilted. Honestly, she'd take snake-man over math and talking calculators any day. At least one was a shorter kind of torture.

* * *

Will yanked the red sweater over her head, groaning the moment she caught sight of her hair in the mirror. Perhaps she ought to grow it out like that Elyon girl. Will squinted at her reflection, trying to imagine herself with pigtails. She cringed.

"Don't dawdle Will! You're going to be late, late, late!"

Will slipped on a blue jean vest and grabbed her brush. "Donald, if you don't shut up I'll dump you in the trash bin on my way out! Now where are my socks?"

There was a knock on her door. "Honey? Who are you talking to?"

Will rescued the pair of socks from the suffocating clutter under the bed, consisting of half-opened bags and boxes that she still hadn't gotten around to unpacking. "Just the alarm clock!"

"Well hurry up! You're going to be late!"

Will rolled her eyes.

* * *

As it was, Will made it to her seat just as the bell rang. The morning passed in an almost dream-like quality. Will kept half-expecting the snake-man to pop out from her locker or Irma to throw water in Martin's face. And she wasn't completely disappointed. Her calculator – now named Sammy – managed to find something to criticize in every math problem she attempted.

Eventually, she threatened to take a hammer to it if it didn't hush up. That did the trick, and she was feeling quite pleased with herself until she looked up and caught Cornelia Hale staring at her like – well, like she'd just threatened her calculator. It was disconcerting and Will immediately returned her attention back to math.

It had seemed so easy the other night, promising to talk to Taranee and Cornelia. Yet, when math ended, and Cornelia was packing up her things, presenting the perfect opportunity to at least strike up a conversation, Will's courage failed her. She even got as far as standing next to Cornelia's desk when the blonde girl looked up, an eyebrow raised with rich-girl perfection.

Will barely managed to choke out a "hello" before she skedaddled out of the classroom as fast as her feet could carry her. Blood pounded in her ears as Will miserably ducked her head behind her textbooks.

There was something about pretty, smart, and rich girls (or guys – but that was a totally different story) that made her feel like a small, ugly bug. And there were very unhealthy doses of jealousy thrown into the bug mix. It was humiliating to say the least.

Will turned the corner and promptly crashed headlong into someone else. Her books went flying and she fell gracelessly on her behind. For a moment, she could do nothing but stare at the mess in disbelief.

Heatherfield, she finally decided, must have some particular vendetta against her. There was no other explanation.

"Oh no! Where are my glasses? _Where are they_?"

Will's head snapped up. Taranee Cook was kneeling before her, hands outstretched and probing the textbook mess frantically.

"_Taranee_! I'm so sorry! Here!" Will pressed the big wire-rim glasses into Taranee's palms.

Taranee jammed the glasses over her nose, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Will? What are you doing here?"

Will blinked. "This is school. I came here to learn."

"What? No! No, I mean you were absent yesterday. Are you feeling better?" Taranee's brow furrowed. "What happened to your head?"

Will touched the white gauze. She really should've asked the doctor when she could take it off. "I fell and hit my head. That's why I was out yesterday. I wasn't sick or anything, just getting stitched back together."

Taranee smiled uncertainly. "Oh, well that's a relief – that you're not sick, I mean. Not the stitching."

Will gave her an equally uncertain smile. This was the girl with power over earth? Taranee was rifling through the mess, sorting her textbooks from Will's. She handed one of the piles to Will and stood. "Well, I guess I'll see you in class."

Will jumped to her feet. "Taranee wait! Do you want to sit with me at lunch?"

Taranee stopped. Her eyes were big and round again.

"I mean you're smart and I was hoping you could help me catch up a little bit," the words were tumbling out of Will without any of her say-so. This was revenge for not talking to Cornelia, she knew it. "And I kind of need to talk to you about something really important. So can you?"

"I-I guess so . . . ."

"Great! Thanks Taranee! I'll see you then!"

* * *

Will hopped anxiously from one foot to the other, waiting for Taranee to appear. Irma and Hay Lin were already camped out under a big oak tree in the courtyard.

"Hey Will!" Taranee jogged outside, panting slightly, but her smile was genuine. "Where're we eating?"

Will rocked back on her heels. "Well, since I'm the new girl I figured I'd let you pick."

She watched Taranee's eyes flick over to the oak tree. "Over here." She pointed to an exposed patch of grass. "It's a nice day and I feel like sitting in the sunshine."

Will fought back a grimace. Sunshine. Knowing her luck she'd end up lobster-skin. Still she pasted on a smile and nodded. "Sure."

They got situated on the grass, digging their lunches out, in silence. And it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, which surprised Will. She shot a cursory glance at Taranee, who was contently unpacking a sub sandwich. Will turned back to her own ham and cheese, the nerves in her stomach slowly dying. "Hey Taranee? Why won't you talk with your friends?"

Taranee's head jerked up. "W-What?"

"I mean, they're your _friends_. So something weird happened. Weird stuff happens all the time. I'd think being with your friends, supporting each other, it would make it better. That's what friends do, right?"

Taranee stared at her like she'd grown two extra heads . . . well, without the screaming that usually came with the extra head-growing. Will flushed. "Forget it. I-It's stupid."

"You haven't had many friends, have you?"

Will mentally cursed herself. She should've kept her big mouth shut. Now this whole conversation was turning to her, something she thought about enough without added audio.

"You're right."

Will's self-criticizing stuttered to a halt. She raised her eyes in disbelief.

Taranee's sub lay forgotten in her lap. She studied the ground with a strange half-smile. "I'm a coward. It's easier for me to run than to face my fears, but it hurts, deep inside it hurts. And then you wonder if the fear is really all that bad."

Will bit her lip. "What do you fear?"

"Rejection." Taranee laughed at Will's arched eyebrow. "It is stupid. People are stupid sometimes. I wasn't very good at making friends at my old school, and here I have more than I can count! Sometimes I feel like it's a dream and one mistake will wake me up. And I don't want to wake up."

Will stared down at her sandwich. Taranee's words struck a chord in her, and although it wasn't in quite the same way, she understood. So Will pushed herself to her knees and looked up into Taranee's miserable brown eyes. "Tell you what, I'll solemnly swear to be your friend no matter how weird you are." She paused as she realized how forward that sounded. Her cheeks burned. "That is, of course, if you _want_ me to be your friend. Pinky promise."

Taranee stared at the extended pinky.

"Nobody breaks a pinky promise," Will informed her. "It's the most sacred promise a girl can make."

Hesitantly, Taranee reached out. They linked pinkies and Will grinned. "Excellent! Now, let's get out of this sun before I fry to a crisp!"

"But where –"

Will snorted and grabbed Taranee's sleeve. "Really Taranee, Irma and Hay Lin have been saving seats for us!"

"_What_?"

"Hey, it's lunch! Let's have a little fun before classes start up again! Secrets can wait 'till a more appropriate time. For now, just enjoy your friends!"

Hay Lin and Irma were waiting, anxiously. Their food was suspiciously lacking eaten bites. Taranee slunk behind Will, small whimpers forming in her throat. Hay Lin, however, smiled. "Hi Taranee! You – You want to eat with us?"

Irma shuffled sideways, making room on the bench. "C'mon, my mom packed enough leftovers to share with the whole ninth grade."

Will propelled Taranee into the empty seat, plopping down on the grass at their feet. She already had grass stains, anyway.

Irma dumped half her lunch into Taranee's lap. "Hey, your dad's cooking tonight, right? You coming over to my place then?"

Taranee's head snapped towards Irma. "You want me to?" she squeaked.

Irma relaxed against the tree. "Of course, that's what friends are for."

A shaky grin spread across Taranee's face. Her back lost its rigidness. Hay Lin beamed at Will in gratitude.

* * *

By the time the lunch bell rang, the stiffness had completely disappeared. Taranee, Will decided as she threw out her paper bag, had never looked happier. Hay Lin was practically glued to Taranee's arm, bouncing about like a hyperactive bunny. Irma walked on Taranee's other side, chattering up a storm. It was picture perfect.

Will tripped over her own feet when her brain caught up with her thoughts. "H-Hey guys? It's class picture day tomorrow. Do you dress up?"

The girls laughed a very high and spurious-sounding laugh. "What? No!"

Will stopped walking, staring at them oddly. Something in their laughter just felt . . . _off_. But before she could put her finger on it, Irma was turning towards her, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Cornelia started shopping for picture day back in kindergarten," she explained, snickering and pointing over to the blonde who was chatting with Elyon across the courtyard. "There won't be any clothes or makeup left after she's done."

Elyon caught sight of them and waved. Then Cornelia glanced over her shoulder, back at them. Her eyes narrowed and her lips thinned. She seized Elyon's arm, dragging her inside.

Irma snorted. "Friendly. Hay Lin, we meeting at the bridge again?"

Hay Lin shook her head. "Sorry, I can't go. My mom's birthday is coming up and Dad needs my help shopping for her gift."

Taranee's brow puckered. "What's at the bridge?"

Irma waved her hand dismissively. "Tell you later, but you _so_ got to see it!"

"Well, we need to study anyway. There's a test coming up in history."

"And to think I invited you over tonight."

* * *

Will jammed her books into her bag, slammed her locker closed, and dashed down the hall to Hay Lin's locker. It was vacant. Will frowned and leaned against it, watching other stragglers hurry down the corridors. Surely Hay Lin's class had ended by now.

"Who're you waiting for?"

Will's head whipped around. Standing a few feet from her was Cornelia Hale, that same strange expression on her face. Will thought back to the last couple minutes. She hadn't threatened her calculator recently . . . . "Hay Lin."

Cornelia raised that perfect eyebrow. "Hay Lin's already left with Irma and Taranee."

Will's heart sank. "Oh."

Cornelia nodded and after a moment walked off. Will barely noticed. She had thought she would walk home with the girls; they lived in the same vicinity after all. Will pushed off from the locker and strode from the school.

Clouds obscured the sun, for once obliging to Will's mood. Cool autumn winds whistled through bare tree branches. Will sighed and hunched her shoulders. Why had she thought Heatherfield would be any different than all the others? Okay, actually she hadn't thought it'd be different until Mrs. Lin's lightshow, but that was beside the point. The point was she'd started liking those girls, against all odds, and had thought –

Will shook her head and squeezed her eyelids shut. Stupid thoughts. It was better not to try sometimes. She crossed the street, wondering if her appliances would leave her alone for just one afternoon. Perhaps if she started on her math . . . .

Will turned the corner into the dark alley. The entrance to her apartment complex was just inside the alley. Why, Will was clueless. The dumpster took up residence next to the door and more often than not smelled of sour milk and rank fish.

Will scrunched her nose against the odor and reached for the door. Blue light flared behind her. She wheeled around and had time for one scream before a meaty fist crashed against her bandaged temple and darkness enclosed around her.

* * *

Will woke to a pounding headache. She moaned and tried to reach for her brow, but it didn't work too well. For one thing, gravity seemed to have reversed itself and for another, her hands seemed restrained by some weird prickly thing that felt a bit like a rope . . . .

Will's eyes snapped open. Gray, gravelly dirt swayed about a foot from her nose. Khaki-colored pants, which looked too scratchy and worn to have any synthetic material in them, which connected to gigantic leather boots filled the rest of her vision.

Will craned her neck. Thorny bushes and scraggly trees with drooping bare branches clung to the rock side. The sky was dark, cloudy, and cold winter wind stung her cheeks. It was something out of a nightmare.

Will glanced back at the walking legs, weighing her options. She could struggle and who knew where _that_ would lead, or she could play limp fish and see what would happen. Will gritted her teeth and reared her legs up.

"Oof!"

Will toppled off the person's shoulder, slamming into the hard dusty earth. She scrambled back and somehow managed to clamber to her feet. She started running.

"After her!"

Will picked up the pace, trying to wrench her wrists out of the bounds, or at least _snap_ the rope. The old defense class she'd taken at the last school echoed in her head: _run, don't stay and fight, look for an escape_.

A scaly body fell from the sky, blocking Will's path. She screamed and lunged to the side, barely avoiding the claw that reached out to snatch her. She rolled down the steep incline, cringing every time her body jolted against something.

She struggled into sitting position at the bottom, and then made the mistake of looking up. Snake-man, Lord Cedric, was staring down at her. Will's mouth went dry. Her defense class hadn't covered monsters.

Will staggered to her feet and away from snake-man. _Run_. And she ran, she ran faster than she had ever run before.

Then something wrapped against her legs. Hard rocks slammed into her shins, nearly breaking bone. She fell heavily to the ground.

Snake-man towered over her, his forked-tongue flickering between his fanged teeth. Then something else stepped into view. A blue-skinned monster, mostly humanoid, with a large jaw and pale blue scales. It was _his_ khaki pants she had seen before, and his nose she'd kicked in her escape attempt.

"Well," hissed Cedric, "the Guardian thought she could escape. It won't happen again." He gave a sharp nod to Blue who reached down and again slung her over his shoulder.

Will was left to gaze miserably at the dusty ground.

* * *

Gruesome gargoyles leered down at her from gothic turrets. Unforgiving walls of stone enclosed around them. Will wrinkled her nose as mud kicked up from the bottom of Blue's shoes and splattered on her face. Who would want to live _here_?

Mud gave way to uneven stone and Will was vaguely surprised when they continued going straight. Weren't dungeons generally located under the castle?

Then they stopped and she felt thick fingers untwining her legs. Will suppressed a shiver. Blue set her on her feet. She swallowed as she glimpsed his hard beady eyes staring at her. He _towered_ over her. Were all creatures from Meridian insanely tall?

She lowered her eyes, and yelped. Cedric's scaly face was inches from hers. His clawed hand grasped her bicep, digging into the muscle, to keep her from moving. His tongue flickered out, brushing her nose. She reeled back in disgust. "Don't think of trying to run, Guardian. My Lord awaits your presence and would be greatly grieved if you were to miss your appointment." Cedric uncoiled his way-too-flexible body and regarded Blue. "Vathek, don't lose this one again." He turned and slithered off.

She was given a sharp jab in the back. "Move Guardian."

Hideous creatures, as big as Vathek, but brown with club-like fists snapped to attention. These actually had hair, brown pointed beards and hairy eyebrows that poked out from under metal helmets. They were clad in brown loincloths and leather belts. Will didn't even attempt to not stare. It was a whole world filled with monsters.

The brown creatures opened the huge double doors. Vathek shoved Will through. Even through the thick soles of her boots, she noticed the change in flooring. Tile slabs of marble replaced flagstones. Enormous purple stained-glass windows adorned one wall, and the design looked suspiciously like a headless Cedric. That or his neck had grown horns.

Mists covered the marble floor, clinging to her jeans. Will briefly closed her eyes to keep from seeing the swirling images in the fog. It was making her sick.

She was prodded forward again. Reluctantly, Will crossed the great hall. She hesitated when she caught sight of the massive throne, some type of massive, thorny tree growing at its back and creeping across the floor.

Vathek grunted something unintelligible and grabbed her arm, yanking her along. Apparently he had gotten tired of her gaping.

Will's jaw did drop when she realized the man sitting on the throne was indeed that, a man. His skin was a bit sallow – probably from lack of sunshine – and his long hair and pointy beard was pale blonde. He was clad in voluminous purple and deep red robes. A fancy hat – which Will was hesitant to call a crown, it sure didn't _look_ like any crown she had ever seen – sat atop his head. His washed-out green eyes sharpened as they landed on her.

"Well done, Vathek," he purred, his voice smooth like molasses. He leaned his cheek against his closed fist, watching Will like a cat would a mouse. "Do you know who I am?"

Will licked her lips, suddenly wishing she had never set foot in Heatherfield or had ever met Hay Lin. "No," she whispered tremulously.

He raised a fine eyebrow, almost in disbelief. "Surely you were told _something_ of Meridian. Candracar wouldn't have left you without any guidance."

Will started at the mention of Candracar. For the first time she recalled the pink orb. Where was it? She had put in her backpack . . . . She must've dropped it when she was kidnapped. Will shuddered as she thought the word 'kidnapped'. How many kidnapped children were ever found _alive_?

"Then allow me in introduce myself. I am Prince Phobos. Ah, I see you recognize my name. Good." Phobos leaned closer. Will fought back the urge to step back. "You've already met Vathek and my second-in-command, Lord Cedric.

"But you, there's no need to tell me _your_ name. I already know so much about you. Wilma Vandom, called Will by her friends. You live with your mother across the Veil on Earth. Most importantly, however, you are the new leader of the Guardians of the Veil. You are," his eyes lit up, "the Keeper of the Heart of Candracar."

Will was silent. What was she supposed to say? He was right, but according to the movies, she was supposed to deny it. According to that one-time defense class, she was supposed to drop all her belongings and run, but seeing how she didn't _have_ any belongings with her or even have use of her hands, that was a moot point.

Phobos didn't seem fazed by her silence. Instead he inquired far too eagerly for her tastes, "Where is the Heart of Candracar?"

Where was the Heart of Candracar? In her backpack. Did this man even know what a backpack was?

He began to growl. "Don't make me repeat myself! _Where is the Heart of Candracar_?"

Will stiffened as she felt something snag her jeans. She looked down and gasped, probably swore too, but she wasn't paying that much attention. _Roses_, thorny red roses were climbing up her legs. If it weren't for the protection of blue jeans, Will wasn't certain if she'd be able to run anywhere after this.

"I-I don't know!"

"Don't lie to me, Guardian!"

The roses curled around her bound hands. She bit back a whimper. "I swear, I don't know! I lost it!"

Phobos blinked. "You _lost_ it? How could you _lose_ the Heart of Candracar?"

"Well if you haven't noticed, I haven't been having a very good week! A glowing necklace is the _last_ thing on my mind!" Will snapped back.

She didn't see the backhand until her cheek stung and throbbed. She cried out, the roses wrapped around her body the only reason she wasn't sprawled across the floor. "You will address the Prince as befitting his status!" roared Vathek.

Phobos massaged his temples. "She _lost_ it," he repeated as if it were the most phenomenal thing he had ever heard.

Tears were welling in Will's eyes. The roses were gouging into her unprotected arms.

Phobos made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. He waved his hand and the roses shriveled away. Will collapsed to her knees. "Perhaps a couple days in the Oubliette will refresh her memory."

* * *

NOTICE: I will be going on vacation and will not be able to update until April. So don't get too antsy! I haven't dropped off the face of the planet or anything! Just doing some serious relaxation.

I look forward to reading your reviews and hearing what you think!


	4. Glass Slipper

I'm _baaaaack_! And what a wonderful surprise to return to! 8 reviews! I can't thank you all enough! Honestly, I can't believe how many people like this story, and it's only on Chapter 4!

Anonymous Reviews:

Emily: Thank you! I had a wonderful time! We went to an aquarium and got soaked by a killer whale! Absolutely wonderful! And cold, lol. I'm trying to keep as close to the plotline as possible, mostly because it's a good plotline and this way, I don't have to think of one. I just get to have fun! Though, I think I got a little carried away with Caleb . . . . Ah well, he just wouldn't stop rambling. I hope you enjoy this next installment!

Philip Gipson: _rechecks Phobos's wardrobe and snorts_ Well now, this is just getting embarrassing. I blame my computer's picture quality. _laughs_ Okay, thank you for helping me with 'Passling'! Will's abduction was one of the major points I wanted to strengthen. It wasn't in the show much, but being kidnapped is traumatizing, especially by a big blue monster . . . that or very surreal. Either way, I'm glad you liked it! And I had a wonderful vacation, thank you!

**Protector**: Chapter 4

Taranee glanced at her watch and frowned up at the apartment complex. It was getting late. She hefted her bag higher on her shoulder and took a deep breath. "You promised Taranee Cook. You promised."

Encouraged, Taranee strode into the dark alley, firmly ignoring any thoughts of beady-eyed rats and deranged psychos lying in wait. An overwhelming stench swept over her. She plugged her nose with an "_Ugh_!" and turned to glare at the green dumpster.

A faded green frog in pink overalls sat on the dirt encrusted pavement near the dumpster. Taranee paused, one hand still outstretched for the door. She recognized that frog. Taranee crept closer, bending to pick up the little frog. As she did, her eyes caught sight of a worn green backpack lying behind the dumpster.

She scrabbled over to the bag, dread washing over her. It was an old backpack, it didn't even have zippers. Instead, she had to fumble with the oversized buttons to open it. A science textbook with torn notebook sheets stuffed amongst the pages glared up at her. She flicked the front cover back. _Will Vandom_.

Taranee's breath quickened. Her eyes darted around the dark alley, but nothing seemed out of place, except the architect's odd entrance design. Taranee stuffed the little frog into the bag and moved to button the top again when a thread of pink light shot out.

Taranee screamed, falling back on her behind. The thread dissolved, but a faint glow continued to emit from the bag. She removed her hand from her mouth and licked her lips. After a second quick glance around the empty dark alley, Taranee hesitantly peered into the backpack. A familiar glowing pink orb was nestled inside.

"Oh."

* * *

Taranee's feet pounded the pavement. She _really_ should've worn better shoes. Irma had claimed she wasn't dressing up and Taranee now fervently wished she had decided to do the same.

Sheffield loomed around the corner. Taranee picked up the pace. Kids still milled about the yard, but they weren't the ones Taranee was looking for. She dashed into the school, careening through the half-empty halls and then into the courtyard. _There_!

"Irma! Hay Lin!"

The two girls looked up and Taranee had a moment of disbelief, for both girls were clearly dressed up. Hay Lin wore a cute purple dress and purple shoes with stars Taranee _knew_ hadn't originally adorned them. Irma was clad in a single-shoulder red shirt and a pair of nice blue jeans.

Hay Lin beamed. "Hi Taranee! What's up?"

Taranee skidded to a halt, gasping for breath. She held up the backpack. "It's Will's backpack. I found it lying in the alley by her apartment!"

"Well, maybe she just dropped it."

Taranee shook her head. "And didn't notice? Her science textbook alone must weigh twenty pounds! Besides, she wouldn't forget this." Taranee dug inside and pulled out the pink orb.

Irma and Hay Lin froze. Taranee's eyes narrowed. "You know what this is, don't you. What have you guys been doing since Mrs. Lin's 'magic trick'?"

"Since when were you willing to talk about it?" Irma shot back, glancing around the courtyard to make sure no one else was watching.

Taranee lowered the necklace. "Since this morning, when I promised myself I'd tell Will everything."

Hay Lin frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Something Will told me yesterday." Taranee hung her head. "I'm sorry I've been acting like a jerk, but I was scared. It's a stupid reason, I know, but at the time it made perfect sense . . . or almost perfect sense."

Irma scoffed. "Some sense."

Taranee raised her gaze pleadingly to Irma. "Please, I-I want to help. Will's in trouble, I _know_ it!"

Hay Lin shared a glance with Irma. Irma sighed and ruffled the back of her hair. "We're going to need Cornelia."

* * *

"Oi! What's the big idea!"

Hay Lin shut the door behind Cornelia as Irma and Taranee dragged her inside the unused classroom.

"Cornelia, _please_," Taranee implored, "Will's missing!"

Cornelia wrenched her arms free. "So she probably bumped her head again! What's the big deal?"

"I found her backpack lying on the street outside her apartment building! That's not something she'd just drop!"

"Then call the police! Now if you'll excuse me, _I'm missing class_!"

Hay Lin stepped in front of the door. "We think Will's been kidnapped."

Cornelia stopped dead, eyes wide in surprise. "Kidnapped?"

Irma crossed her arms. "Cornelia, Taranee, sit down and no interruptions, if you please."

She summarized Yan Lin's story, told them what she and Hay Lin and eventually Will had been doing under the bridge, described the fairy outfits, and briefly touched on the episode regarding Lord Cedric and the mysterious boy from Meridian. "Now," Irma practically growled, "I want you two to look me in the eye and tell me nothing strange has happened to either of you."

Cornelia jumped off the desk she had reluctantly commandeered, shaking her head. "Not this again."

"Cornelia –"

"No! I've sat here and listened to you and I can assure, Irma," Cornelia scowled at Irma, "nothing strange has happened to me."

Irma folded her arms. "You're lying."

"Um…."

"What, Taranee?" Cornelia all but bit out, still holding Irma's gaze.

Taranee swallowed and nervously extended her pointer finger. At first nothing happened, but as Irma and Cornelia finally turned to look at her, a tongue of fire burst to life above her fingertip. Cornelia jerked back.

Hay Lin gasped. "Wow! So you're fire!" She giggled. "I should've taken Will's bet!"

That granted her a few bewildered looks. Irma cleared her throat and turned back to Taranee. "When did you notice?"

Taranee grimaced and the flame flickered out. "The day Will was absent. The toaster oven sort of exploded. I didn't say anything . . . I thought I might be going crazy, or that it might just be real and I wasn't sure which of those was worse."

Cornelia just stared. "How did you -" She shook her head, one hand coming up to her forehead. "No, no this is all crazy. This is just a nightmare and I'll wake up –" Water sprayed in her face, cutting her off. Cornelia shrieked.

Irma smiled sweetly. "Awake yet, Corny?"

Cornelia glared and threw her hand out – as if she might slap Irma. Then a chair behind Irma sprang to life, bashing into the girl's knees and sending her head-first to the floor. Cornelia's jaw dropped and for a moment neither she nor the others could do anything but stare. Then Cornelia smirked. "Is that awake enough for you, _Irmy_?"

Taranee gaped. "You've known all this time?"

Cornelia wrung water out of her hair. "All what time? That's the first time anything weird's happened to me." She paused, a thoughtful look replacing her scowl. "Unless you count Will's talking calculator. _That_ was definitely weird."

Irma shoved the chair aside. "And the flower that wouldn't die?"

Cornelia froze, remembering the failed science experiment. After a moment she snorted and shot a superior look at Taranee. "_Told_ you I fertilized its little butt off."

Taranee scowled.

"What about Will?" Hay Lin interrupted. "We have to find her!"

Cornelia flipped her hair over her shoulder. "You're _serious_? You want to skip school on _picture day_!"

Taranee glowered at the blonde. "_Hello_! Will's been seized by the forces of evil!"

Cornelia crossed her arms. "Oh, and _you _were so hyped up to join this little psycho group beforehand? Besides we don't know if she's been seized or whatever! We don't even know how to find her!"

Irma stiffened from her position on the floor. "Um, guys?" Will's backpack trembled. Then the Heart wriggled its way out of the gap between bag and flap, floating steadily in the air.

Hay Lin reached out and looped her finger around the slender chain. It tugged. "We may not know, but this thing seems to have an idea."

Cornelia groaned. "I am never going to forgive _any_ of you for this."

* * *

The Heart led them to the basement of Will's apartment. Taranee cringed as the emergency lights flickered on. Dusty spider webs clung to the ceiling and something too large to be an insect skittered off into the gloom. "You know, I liked it better when I couldn't see."

Irma coughed in the rear. "So this is where they store the world's dust," she remarked hoarsely.

"Oh be quiet," Cornelia snapped. "This was all _your_ idea."

Hay Lin gasped. "Guys!"

Taranee's jaw dropped as she rounded the corner. A big electric blue circle hovered in midair.

Irma went dead white. "Will's on the other side of _that_?"

Hay Lin even gave the Heart a little tug to make sure.

"Uh, what exactly _is_ that?" Taranee asked.

"A portal to Meridian," Hay Lin murmured, no longer as enthused as she had back at school.

Cornelia shook her head. "This is crazy!"

Irma's eyes narrowed. "So you've said twenty times already. Will is in horrible danger and _we're_ the only ones that have any chance of saving her!"

"We hardly _know_ her!"

"Well maybe _you_ don't, but we do."

Taranee took a deep breath. "Last year I was the new girl. Will's nice."

"I like her," Irma remarked. "She's funny and smart."

Taranee nodded and then stopped. "Wait, smart?"

"Where it counts."

"Look," Hay Lin turned to Cornelia, "you don't have to come if you don't want to."

Cornelia groaned. "Okay, guilt me why don't you! But no way am I going through that thing first."

"Fine." Hay Lin threw back her shoulders and set her jaw, eyeing the portal like a tamer might eye a hungry lion. "I'll go first."

Taranee touched Hay Lin's arm. "I'll go with you." It wasn't an offer, it was a statement, and for the first time in a long while, Taranee didn't feel so afraid. Maybe it was the idea that what they were about to do was so out of the rules of norm that she had nothing to compare it to. Maybe. But as she and Hay Lin leapt into the blazing blue portal, she thought it was because of another reason, a reason closer to the heart than the head: she was with her friends.

Cornelia swallowed thickly. "I-If I'm last, I-I'll just chicken out!"

Irma snorted. "Well, I won't. I'll go last."

"Then you'll have to do something."

"What do I have to do?"

Cornelia grimaced. "Push me."

A grin curled across Irma's face. "My pleasure."

* * *

Caleb was in a panicky state of boredom. On the one hand, he was in the hands of Prince Phobos, evil ruler of Meridian, and if one squinted, Caleb's arch nemesis. On the other hand, he was at the bottom of a hole with a Passling, of all creatures, with absolutely _nothing_ to do. Caleb pinched the bridge of his nose. He always found himself in the weirdest situations. He was beginning to wonder if this was Phobos's new torture policy.

Caleb glared down at the little green creature. It stared back at him with a wide, toothy grin. "I'm going to have to trust you," he informed the little creature reluctantly.

The Passling positively beamed. "Trust Blunk! Yes!"

"Put your foot, or hoof, or whatever it is in here." Caleb lowered the chain he held taunt between his hands. "When I count to three, jump as high as you can. I'm going to throw you out and then –"

Blunk leapt on the chain. Caleb nearly dropped it. "One! Two!"

"_Listen_!" Caleb stressed, glowering at the creature until it smiled sheepishly. "Find a rope and lower it into here."

"Rope, yes! Good plan!"

"No, terrible plan, but even if you betray me, at least it'll smell better down here." And _that_ would be an improvement. One of the few things his father had ever told him about Passlings was that the ranker the stench, the older they were. Caleb was ready to pass out from this one as it was.

"One, two, _three_!"

Blunk went flying. Caleb bit his lip, watching anxiously. For such a small, smelly creature, the Passling did jump pretty high.

"Yes!" Caleb grinned as Blunk latched onto the rim. "Pull yourself up!"

The green toes sticking out from worn shoes scrambled desperately against the sheer stone wall. Caleb's grin faded. "Come on! You can do it!"

Blunk let out a little wail. His hands slipped and he fell. Caleb held out his arms, caught the Passling, caught a whiff of the Passling, and tossed said Passling to the other side of the hole. He gagged. "If we ever get out of this, I'm dumping you a tub with ten bars of soap." When he had purged most of the stench from his lungs, he reluctantly fetched the chain. "Let's try again."

A clang cut him off and a shadow fell over him. Blunk squeaked and darted into the shadows. Caleb was half tempted to follow. However, if it was Phobos there would be nothing Caleb could do. Skulking in the shadows wouldn't even grant him an extra second of life.

"That's right Guardian of the Veil," snarled a familiar voice. Caleb nearly sagged in relief. "You're going down there, with the rebel leader!"

Caleb cringed. "Laying it on a little thick, aren't you Vathek," he growled under his breath, eyeing the descending cage. Guardian of the Veil, eh? He squashed the hopes of Yan Lin or Halinor coming to his rescue. The two old warriors had been missing for the past several months, and if his _extraordinarily_ short excursion to Earth had shown him anything, they weren't even Guardians anymore. Instead, three _girls_, younger than him, now held the powers over the elements. Caleb grimaced as he recalled the pathetic fight that had ended with him in Cedric's clutches. Though, that feisty one with the pigtails might have some potential. He almost smiled. When was the last time he'd seen anyone fight with such spirit?

The cage clanked to a stop. Caleb glanced up and then realized belatedly that he was directly underneath it. The bottom of the cage fell away and a girl dropped into his arms with a scream.

He staggered under the sudden load, biting back a curse. Instead he turned to glare accusingly at the girl. He was met with a pair of wide, stunned eyes. The girl's vibrant red hair was cut short at her chin and she was clad in unusual garments, but he was used to that from Yan Lin. _That _woman certainly had a strange fashion sense. He frowned, trying to focus on the present, or past as it happened to be.

"You're not one of the Guardians I saw yesterday. Where's your older sister?"

The girl just stared at him. His frown deepened. "Um, hello?" He took another look at her, ignoring the odd clothing. "Did they hurt you?" Yes, there was blood seeping onto her sleeves and her hands looked like they'd been slashed repeatedly by a knife. They appeared to be flesh wounds, though even a flesh wound could be dangerous if not cleaned.

He glanced back at her face and noticed her jaw was working silently. There were tearstains on her cheeks and . . . his frown was replaced by worry. Almost hidden by her hair was a purple bruise with drying blood encrusting on the edges. "Can you stand on your own, or at least sit?"

Some of the question seemed to have penetrated through to her brain for she hesitantly nodded. He set her on her feet and she swayed a bit. Not wanting to trust her balance, Caleb helped her sit and squatted next to her. He brushed aside her hair and she flinched. One of her bloodied hands shot up to touch the bump. He lightly grabbed her wrist. "Don't. You don't want to get it infected. Let me." He gently probed the inflamed area, pausing when she hissed. There seemed to be some sort of black thread stuck in the wound. He gave it a gentle tug.

The girl whimpered and batted his hand aside. "Stop!"

Caleb froze. He removed his hands, keeping them in her sight. He remembered some of the rebels that had escaped Phobos's torture chambers. Don't startle the victim, keep in their line of sight at all times, and don't be insulted if they want nothing to do with you. "All right," he soothed, "I won't touch it, but you've got one nasty bump there."

Her bottom lip trembled and her fingers moved again to the bruise, but before he could do more than make a sound of protest, she stopped at her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She took a deep steadying breath. "You – You're the boy from yesterday."

Caleb blinked. "I suppose." Surely this slip of a thing wasn't a Guardian. If she was, the rebellion could very well be doomed.

"You got kidnapped by Snake-man too."

Caleb's eyebrows shot up. "Snake-man?"

The girl removed her fingers and looked at him curiously. Then suddenly she flushed and ducked her head. "I-I mean Lord Cedric."

Caleb snorted, then clapped a hand over his mouth as the chuckles poured out. "_Snake_-man!"

"Well, I'm sorry! But monsters aren't exactly common where I come from!" She snapped. A slight dazed look replaced her ire, and for a moment it looked like she might faint.

Caleb touched her shoulders. "Hey, stay with me. Look at me, _focus_ on me." He waited for her pupils to latch onto his face. He grinned slightly at her. "Tell me what you see."

Her brow puckered a bit. "What?"

"Look at me and tell me what you see."

"You have green eyes," she began uncertainly. Caleb nodded encouragingly. "Um, brown hair, a bit on the shaggy side. There's a smudge of dirt on your cheek. Your nose is longish, but not pointy like Elyon's. Your jaw's square-like, and what's the point of this?"

Caleb shrugged, rubbing absently at his cheek. "You looked like you were about to faint. Focusing helps sometimes."

"Is girl okay?"

Caleb's head shot up, catching sight of Blunk creeping up behind the girl. He was licking breadcrumbs off his fingertips. Caleb resisted the urge to sigh; he'd only get a lungful of rank air for his trouble. "I think so. Banged up a bit, but the head bump is the only worrying injury. If only we had some wat—"

He was cut off as the girl finally craned her neck to get a good glimpse of Blunk, and screamed. She leapt at Caleb, throwing her arms about his neck. Blunk yelped and scuttled back into the shadows.

Caleb instinctively placed his hands on the girl's back. She was trembling like a leaf. "Hey! It's all right! He's harmless, I think. He's just a smuggler."

"Discount importer!" the Passling corrected indignantly, standing from his former crouched position. Apparently he'd decided the girl wasn't much of a threat.

Caleb was inclined to agree. "Calm down. He won't hurt you."

The girl merely tightened her grasp on his neck. Caleb grimaced. Definitely the _weirdest_ situations. "Fine, keep holding on, but could you loosen your grip just a bit. I'd like to breathe."

Astonishingly, the girl did. Her face was still buried into his shoulder and her arms remained wrapped around his throat, but his windpipe was no longer in danger of being crushed.

After a moment, Blunk came out and sat down near them. He picked up Caleb's discarded chains, examining them critically.

"So, what's your name?" Caleb inquired.

The head shifted. "Will."

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch that. You will what?"

The head lifted. The girl had the nerve to glare at him. "My _name_ is Will."

"Oh," oops, "I'm Caleb. And that's Blunk."

She stiffened, but obligingly turned to the Passling who gave her a toothy smile. Will returned her face to the crook of his shoulder. "What is it?"

"_He's_ a Passling." Sensing her confusion, Caleb explained, "Small creatures with an affinity for junk, no comprehension of buying, and a revulsion for baths."

There was a pause. "That explains the smell."

Caleb snorted. "It would. Now, will you let me look at your wounds?"

Will reluctantly let go of him. He picked up her hands, examining them carefully. "What happened?"

She swallowed. "Roses."

Caleb winced. The rosebush in the throne room . . . in the throne room! "Wait a second. You really _are_ a Guardian, aren't you?"

She glared at him in annoyance. "What? You weren't expecting a girl?"

Caleb arched an eyebrow. "No, I was expecting someone a little older."

She scowled and ripped her hand from his. "I'm fourteen for your information, and there is no way you are older than me."

He crossed his arms with a smirk. "Fifteen."

Will stuck out her tongue. Caleb laughed. "Well, you're feeling better, and since you _are_ a Guardian, do us a favor and activate the crystal. I don't know about you, but I don't fancy spending eternity in the depths of Phobos's dungeons."

Will tensed. "How do you know about the crystal?"

Caleb stretched. "I knew the former Guardians, or some of them. Yan Lin used the . . . what was it called? Oh, Heart of Candracar to magnify their powers."

"Mrs. Lin was the Keeper of the Heart?"

"Mm, sort of, I guess. I know she wasn't the original Keeper."

"What do you mean the original Keeper? There's more than one?"

Caleb frowned. "How should I know? I'm not a Guardian!"

Will deflated.

Caleb sighed. "Look, just activate the Heart and fly us out of here, okay?"

"I don't have the Heart."

Caleb's stomach sank somewhere to the bottom of his toes. "What do you mean you don't have it?"

"I lost it when Sna – I mean, Lord Cedric kidnapped me."

"You _lost_ it?" Caleb spluttered. "How could you _lose_ it?"

Will looked at him strangely. "You know, Phobos said that too."

"Do you have _any_ idea how _powerful_ that crystal is?"

"Sure, it can turn me into a pixie. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big – what's the big –" Caleb lowered his head into his hands. "We're _doomed_."

* * *

So what did you think of Caleb? I had way too much fun writing him in this story.

I shouldn't have too much trouble updating, but there's a good chance something important might pop up. I doubt it'll get in the way, but just in case . . . .

Please review! I love hearing from all of you!


	5. Guardian

O.O I had 5 reviews in the first twenty-four hours. Somebody pinch me. And I've got 9 now _and_ I've breached the 1000 hit mark! _Wee_!

Okay, by now everyone has probably seen the "Complete" at the top and under the summary. It's not a mistake! This is the last chapter! Yeah, I know, short story.

I'm under the impression that a lot of you never read the summary at the beginning of this story, or checked out the summary in my profile. So I'll restate it here: this is a rewrite of the first two episodes. Not a rewrite of the entire first season of WITCH. As much as I would _love_ to continue this story, I don't have the time. Seriously, I debated for three whole days on the pros and cons and even started a sixth chapter after reading reviewer Emily's request. But sadly enough, I've got too much on my plate right now and probably will for awhile. Besides school and finals, I've got a dance recital coming up, a fantasy novel I'm trying to publish, a sequel to said fantasy novel to start writing, college to prepare for, two weddings coming up, a graduation vacation planned, volunteer work taking up my time, and a PowerPoint for a dance/musical show that will require my full attention.

And that's not even counting the regular stuff like piano class. So I'm really sorry!

Anonymous Reviews:

Emily: First I want to state that I absolutely _love_ your request. I've seen mini-Calebs running about for the past two weeks. In fact, after reading your review, I spent three days debating the pros and cons of continuing this story just so I could write a scene from Caleb's childhood! _groans_ I am _way_ too busy. I'm so glad you liked my little Snake-man comments! It was just one of those things that kind of stuck as I was writing. Well, since this is the last chapter and you are 'anonymous' I won't get to talk to you after this. So I want to thank you for reading and reviewing my story! I hope you enjoy this last bit!

Philip Gipson: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! And I'm absolutely ecstatic that I managed to get through a chapter without any WITCH mess-ups! Lol, I want to thank you not only for reading and reviewing my story, but also for helping me out! I, sadly, am not a hardcore WITCH fan. As for the glowy-element symbols on the forehead . . . it's a neat idea, but I had already written most of this chapter (and _re_written _that_ particular part at least four times) by the time I read your review. And since this is the last chapter, I decided against it. Thank you for the suggestion, though! And as this is the last time I get to talk to you, thank you again for all your help and encouragement!

lexi: Welcome new reviewer! I seemed to have stumbled upon a nest of Will/Caleb lovers, lol! I haven't had one request for CxC and at least five for WxC. There's a bit more Will/Caleb action in this chapter, but I'm sad to say, the story shan't continue long enough for any romance to take root. I'm so glad you like my story and I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long!

I hope you all enjoy this final installment of Protector!

**Protector:** Chapter 5

Cornelia edged closer to the sizzling portal and stopped. It was awfully big, and bright, and made the hairs on her arms stand up. "You know, maybe this isn't such a good idea. Maybe I should go last. Or – or stand guard or something. We need a guard, don't we?"

Irma regarded her with a raised eyebrow. "No, but I think you're right about one thing."

Cornelia relaxed. "Right? Right about what?" Whatever it was, it had to be better than jumping through a blue portal into another world full of . . . what was it full of again? Evil or monsters? Or was it both?

"I should push you."

Cornelia's head whipped around to stare in dumbfounded horror at Irma, who promptly shoved her through the portal before she could so much as utter a squawk of protest. Blazing blue light enveloped her, skittering across her skin and humming in her ears for a _long_ second and then – splash! Cornelia floundered and surged to the surface, gagging. "Ew! Gross! Gross! Gross!"

She heard a giggle. "When your eyes bugged out like that, you looked just like a frog!"

Cornelia pinned Hay Lin, who looked disastrous with swamp mud plastered upon her skin and dress, with a glare. That blasted pink orb hung from her fingertips, glimmering innocently in its own, self-generated light. Cornelia glowered at it. "This had so better be worth it." She gingerly stood and cringed as she felt something squelch in her shoes. She raised her arms and watched as slop dripped from her fingers. "Ugh!"

"Keep it down!" hissed Taranee, gazing about the gray swamp nervously. "All of evil is going to hear you!"

Hay Lin rolled her eyes and sloshed a bit further into the water, holding the crystal aloft. Cornelia reached for her hair and shuddered. The silky texture had been replaced by sodden slime.

"Uh, Cornelia?"

Cornelia scowled at Taranee, meticulously wringing out her hair.

"You might want to move away from there."

Cornelia's scowl darkened. "I am getting so tired of people telling me what to do –"

"WAHOO!"

Splash!

Cornelia sputtered, parting her dripping curtain of hair. Irma shot out of the water next to her, laughing. "Oh that was so cool! Let's do it again!"

"If you do," Cornelia growled, "I will personally make sure you don't surface."

Irma grinned and flicked water at her. "Oh, lighten up Corny!"

"Guys!" Hay Lin cried as the Heart suddenly yanked her in some direction, almost taking her fingers with it.

"I can't believe we're following a rock," Cornelia grumbled as she fell into line behind Irma.

Taranee raised a finger. "A glowing and floating rock, which I would say gives it some points."

Hay Lin glanced over her shoulder at them, suddenly snickering. "Cornelia, don't look down!"

"That's for heights, you dimwit."

"I know, but if you see your reflection you might completely freak!"

The others burst out laughing. Cornelia crossed her arms. "What is this, pick on Cornelia day? Just because I wanted a normal life doesn't give you the right to gang up on me!"

"Oh, don't feel bad, Cornelia," Irma remarked. "It's just karma."

* * *

The swamp eventually gave way to dry land – well, dry-ish land. It was more mud than anything else. The mist still hadn't cleared, leaving everything a drab color of gray. The thorny root . . . things were joined by rickety trees and mounds of dark green vegetation.

Cornelia shivered. "Why would anyone want to live here?"

Irma shrugged. "Guess monsters really do love their lairs."

"What's that?" Taranee suddenly cried from ahead of them.

Looming above the mist was an honest-to-goodness stone castle with pointy spires, massive surrounding walls, and something that looked like a clock tower dead center. Cornelia grimaced. "The lair?"

It took them several more minutes of trudging through the soft, grayish mud before they came upon what appeared to be a moat. At least, the castle was on the other side of it, but the moat itself sort of faded into fog. It could have easily have been a river, or a lake or something.

Hay Lin, with a chirpiness that rivaled even the grayest sludge of the place, all but skipped to the water's edge, holding the glowing necklace aloft as if it were some sort of makeshift lantern, and peered into the gray water. A brilliant smile broke across her face. "Look! Fishies!"

Cornelia peered disgustedly into the murky water. If they had to go swimming again . . . Cornelia's thoughts abruptly trailed off as the dark shape in the water got bigger. "Uh, Hay Lin, I don't think –"

A huge, scaly, green monster with brilliant, red eyes and teeth as long as Cornelia's forearm lunged for the bank. "Hay Lin!" Irma yanked the girl out of the way.

Cornelia fell down on her rump. _That_ was what they had to fight?

"Jiminy Cricket!" Taranee whimpered from behind a rickety tree, eyes wide.

The monster slipped back into the water, its shadowy form disappearing beneath the murk, but Cornelia got the feeling that it wasn't very far away. Irma leaned against one of the thorny root things, careful to avoid the thorns. She was white. "Okay, we're not swimming across."

Cornelia bit her lip, eyes scanning the castle wall as her brain whirled with a sudden inspiration. She cleared her throat, barely even remembering to glance back at her companions as she offered, "Well I have sort of an idea."

They stared at her.

Cornelia huffed. "Oh don't look so surprised." _Honestly_, she was blonde, not stupid. She climbed the thorny things – and really, who needed thorns as tall as a person's torso? It sort of lacked the whole effectiveness point when getting pricked or poked became more of a chore than an accident. Unless one was a giant. Were there giants in Meridian?

Cornelia shook her head and eyed one of the thorn-less vines clinging to the castle. She stretched out her hand, not even considering the possibility that her plan wouldn't work. After all, she was the Guardian of Earth and it _made sense_. The vine peeled away from the stonework and flew into her palm. She grinned triumphantly at the resulting exclamations from her friends.

Swinging across wasn't quite as easy. There was a problem with calculating the height against the distance and, of course, taking into consideration how much the vine sagged under additional weight. The end result was Cornelia slamming face-first into the castle wall. It, unfortunately, only occurred to her too late – in other words, when her nose was already firmly planted into the stone – to raise her feet and cushion her ah . . . crash.

But, eventually, they managed to slip into the castle and were soon meandering through the lofty corridors. Mahogany carpet muffled their footsteps and weakly burning torches and sputtering candles lit their way. It really was something out of a fairytale, only darker and creepier. Like Sleeping Beauty! The whole castle and court had been put to sleep to await the coming of the princess's true love.

Cornelia lagged behind, gazing at the rough hewn stone. That creature in the moat could even pass for a dragon – a non-fire breathing dragon. There was even that evil prince Irma had mentioned before. He would be trying to take over the throne that rightfully belonged to the princess, of course, but . . . but who was the princess? _Will_? Surely not.

She hadn't known the girl for long. Certainly hadn't paid much attention to the fidgeting redhead across the table who had pocketed a fortune cookie slip as if she were _embarrassed _by it. But Will didn't strike her as the princess-type. She wore _combat boots_, for goodness sakes!

They passed a full-length mirror that was in dire need of a polish. A thick layer of dust coated the brass frame. It was as if years had passed since someone had been down here, to look in this mirror. Cornelia paused, examining her reflection. Her jeans and pink halter-top were ruined, covered in slime and still uncomfortably damp. Her hair was tangled and matted. Dirt smudged her nose and one side of her jaw was beginning to swell and redden from her run-in with the wall.

She sighed. No princess would look like they'd taken a nap with the pigs. That was for the guards. Cornelia pursed her lips, mulling over the last word. She was a Guardian, wasn't she? Was that her role in this fairytale? Was she, and the other girls, the princess's protector?

"Cornelia!" Irma hissed. "This is a rescue mission! Not the prom! Stop worrying about your reflection!"

Cornelia scowled, but hurried after them. If she couldn't be the princess, she conceded in her own mind, being the all-powerful protector wouldn't be too bad. In fact, if they stopped swimming in sewage, it might even be fun!

* * *

Hay Lin peered out the tunnel, worrying at her bottom lip. The carpets and dusty tapestries had given way to cold stone corridors, bare of even the sputtering torches – but that had been awhile ago. Hay Lin didn't have a clue as to where they were – the tunnels were starting to look like they didn't even _belong_ in a medieval castle – and they had been gone so long now, she wondered if picture time had already come and gone.

Cornelia wasn't going to like that.

Hay Lin again stuck her head out of the tunnel for a quick look. The tunnel opened out into a great, bowl-shaped cavern with winding staircases hewed into the sheer stone walls. Thick chains and cages hung from the dark ceiling, empty and waiting for their next victim. And then there were the pits in the floor. The slight worrying on her bottom lip escalated to a full-blown gnawing as Hay Lin's mind raced. The Heart of Candracar tugged impatiently at her fingers.

Irma peered over her shoulder. "What's wrong, Hay Lin?"

"I don't know." Hay Lin peeked out the tunnel again uneasily. "Does it seem a bit . . . quiet to you?"

"Well duh." Cornelia rolled her eyes. "This is a castle, right? Castles were built to keep invaders – that's us – out. So either no one lives here or the guards are all taking a nap – unlikely."

"Shouldn't we be glad this is easy?" Taranee asked, her voice squeaking a bit at the end.

"Well there's easy, and then there's too easy. We just have to figure out which one applies."

Irma's eyebrows disappeared under her hairline. "Since when did you become Miss Knowledge Pool?"

Cornelia flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Oh please, Irma. I'm blonde, not stupid."

"Could've fooled me . . . ."

"Guys!" Hay Lin yelped as the Heart gave a vicious jerk and dragged her out into the open, pulling her to the edge of one of the pits. Hay Lin struggled against the rebellious necklace. She felt the others grab hold of her shoulders and arms, yanking her back to relative safety.

Taranee gazed into the dark hole. "You don't suppose Will's down there, do you?"

"The Heart seems to think so!"

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Irma took a deep breath. "Hey Will! You down there?"

* * *

"It's not going to work."

Caleb grunted something. Will rolled her eyes and went back to staring at the Blunk creature. He wasn't nearly as scary so much as disgusting. The green was a definite turnoff. Honesty, he looked like a toad, only weirder, and smellier.

Caleb yelped as his hands slipped. He plummeted to the bottom of the pit, landing with a thud. Will winced. "Told you so."

He growled and pushed himself to his knees, gingerly kneading his back. "Well I don't see you doing anything!"

Will wrapped her arms around her legs, careful not to bother the scratches that littered her forearms. "Considering how powerful the Heart of Candracar supposedly is you should be thanking me. If I hadn't have lost it, Phobos would have it now and where would you be?"

"Not in a stinking hole, which would a drastic improvement!"

Will exhaled. She wasn't going to argue with the stinking comment. "So why are you here anyway? I mean I'm a Guardian and Blunk's a smuggler –"

"Not smuggler!" Blunk protested. "Discount Importer!"

Caleb regarded her pensively. He crossed his legs with a sigh. "There's no reason I shouldn't tell you. If we don't get out of this, I'm sure Cedric or Phobos will come down here to throw it in my face. I'm the rebel leader."

Will blinked. "I'm sorry. You're the what?"

His lips twisted in an annoyed frown. "Rebel leader. Honestly, didn't Yan Lin tell you anything?"

"Well, she might've mentioned it. I wouldn't know. I was a bit distracted."

He threw his hands up in disgust. "What kind of Guardian are you? You lose the Heart, come into Meridian barely knowing its name, and –"

"Hey! There was no 'coming into Meridian'! Dragged maybe, or hauled, but no voluntarily coming. As far as I'm concerned Mrs. Lin can take back the job, or give it to somebody else." Will rested her chin on her knees. "I'm just a normal girl. Heck, Taranee and Cornelia won't even have anything to do with this! I think Mrs. Lin picked the wrong people."

"Not wrong people," Blunk objected suddenly. He wandered over to Will, who tensed and tried very hard not breathe. Oblivious to this, Blunk gave her a toothy smile and patted her shoulder. "Good people, good girl."

"Yeah? How do you know?"

Blunk tapped the side of his rather flat nose. "Can sense it, yes. Nice girl. Not mean like Phobos, no."

Will gave the Passling a strained smile. "Somehow, I don't think that's hard to accomplish."

"Hey Will! You down there?"

Caleb jumped a foot in the air, an impressive feat since he'd been sitting. Will craned her neck to peer at the faraway opening. A faint pinkish glow hovered overhead. Will struggled to her feet. "I don't believe it. Irma! Is that you?"

There was a soft murmuring. "Will!" cried Hay Lin's voice. "Catch!"

The pink glow zoomed towards her. She sagged in undeniable relief as the familiar warmth and comfort that surrounded the Heart of Candracar washed over her. She held out her hands and the orb swerved to hover inches from her palms, humming expectantly.

Caleb slowly stood, eyeing the Heart in disbelief. "I swear," he muttered to himself, "the weirdest things . . . ."

"Guardians Unite!"

Will barely had time to blink in surprise – for instead of just the two twisting ribbons of water and air that shot out of the Heart, there were four and one was definitely a tongue of fire – before pink light encompassed her vision. The strange floating sensation returned, and then she was falling. Her feet touched the ground. She blinked back the disorientation, raising two fingers to the gash on her head, but oddly enough her injures felt . . . muted. It was as if some soothing cushion had been tied to her aches and pains – without the usual bulkiness said cushion would incur.

"Guess you are a Guardian."

Will shot a glare at Caleb, who was reclining against the wall looking utterly unimpressed. Blunk, on the other hand, was gaping in classic jaw-dropping pose. Will took some comfort in that. "Stay here."

She fluttered her wings experimentally, reveling in the feel of new tendons and muscles, before she leapt into the air. Who would've ever thought flying could be such a relief? It was almost like running as fast as she could without a care in the world, only freer and less knee-jarring.

She shot out of the pit, barely dodged the hanging cages, and landed not quite gracefully on the floor. She didn't slip, or crash, so she counted it as a success.

"Will!" Hay Lin, decked head-to-toe in pixie costume, flung her arms around Will's neck. "You're okay! We were so worried!"

Will awkwardly squeezed the exuberant girl's shoulder, unused to being hugged by people her own height and . . . well, with wings. "How – How did you know . . . ?"

"Taranee found your backpack and the Heart did the rest."

Will frowned at that, not sure her ears were working properly. "Taranee?"

Hay Lin pulled back and nodded over her shoulder with a giggle. Will's jaw dropped. Standing next to a grinning Irma was Taranee. The girl was clad in a lavender tank top with matching wristbands, a pair of turquoise shorts – although, Will had to take a second look just make sure that the insanely short and form-fitting shorts were, indeed, _shorts_, and not simply part of the trademark green-and-turquoise tights – and purple tennis shoes. Her short hair had also magically grown and was kept out of her face in six little braids.

"Taranee!" Will exclaimed. "What – how are you – how did you –"

"If your grandma had mentioned _this_ I would've joined sooner!" laughed another voice.

Will whirled around. Cornelia Hale, even more beautiful than before, spun by, laughing in pure delight. She was donned in an elegant turquoise top, a long lavender skirt with a slit down the side to allow freer movement, the tights, and tall purple boots.

"What?" Will sputtered. "How did _you_ get here?"

Cornelia finished a spin, placing her hands on her hips. "Now that wasn't fun. Honestly, couldn't this Maridan –"

"Meridian," Irma corrected.

"– whatever get a new decorator? I mean gray water, gray dirt, and gray plants. The only colorful things in this place are the slimy sea monsters!"

"What are you doing up there?" Caleb's voice rang from the depths.

Taranee started. Cornelia arched an eyebrow. "Been making friends?"

"H-His name is Caleb," Will told them. "He needs our –"

_Bang_! _Clang_!

Taranee shrieked and grabbed hold of Irma's shoulders. "What's that?"

"Up there!" Hay Lin cried, pointing. High above them, connected to the stairs, were doors . . . and said doors were being thrown open by the brownish guards Will had seen earlier.

"Ew!" Cornelia recoiled. "Apparently the sea monsters are the _only_ color in this world."

Will rounded on the blonde beauty. "Cornelia, what can you do?"

"What?"

"Element! Which element are you?"

"Earth."

"See if you can dismantle those steps! We can't fight those things!"

Cornelia hesitated, and then nodded. She sprinted to the nearest wall and slapped her palms against the stonework. The chamber rumbled.

"Taranee." Will swung to face the terrified girl. "Taranee! You're fire! Start on that side and help Cornelia!"

Taranee blanched. "But W-Will, I can't! I-I can't do this!"

"Yes you can!"

"I'm _scared_ of fire!"

Will growled and seized Taranee by the arms. "If we lose, they'll capture you, hurt you, and toss you down an empty pit with rats. You'll be tortured, Taranee! I'd rather _burn_!"

Taranee's mouth opened but nothing came out. Will's lips pressed into a thin line. "Help Cornelia."

Taranee nodded shakily. As she ran, flames engulfed her fists.

Irma threw a salute. "Orders Captain."

Will bit her lip and glanced around the cavern, trying to ignore the painful screams of monsters toppling to their deaths. "Hay Lin, find us an exit."

Hay Lin grinned and leapt into the air, soaring like a bird. There was an awed gasp somewhere off in Cornelia's direction.

"Irma," Will continued, "we need to get Caleb and Blunk out of that pit. Think you can help?"

Irma smirked. "Oh really, is that all? Water!" Liquid spurted from her hands, running down the sides of the pit.

A whole slew of curses echoed from the pit. Irma's smirk broadened.

Will turned her attention back to the battle. Thick roots had broken through the walls, entangling the stairwells. Cornelia meanwhile had discovered the use of her wings and was flying about the chamber with all the grace of a ballerina. As she waved her arms, hunks of rock or rubble crashed into the trapped guards.

Taranee remained on the ground, sweat beading on her brow as she concentrated. She aimed carefully and a fireball exploded from her fist. Several smoldering embers littering the ground around her feet told of failed attempts.

"Heads up!" Irma called.

Will knelt at the edge of the pit. She stretched out her hand. Caleb seized hold of it, sputtering and coughing. Blunk leapt off Caleb's shoulders, shaking like a leaf.

"Hold on!" Will told Caleb.

He glared at her as she helped him out of the water. Then he caught sight of the guards. "This is a rescue? I was safer as a prisoner!"

Cornelia landed beside them. "I've blocked the entrances as best as I could, but it's not going to hold them for long." Her gaze landed on Blunk. She screamed and grabbed Irma's arm, aiming it at Blunk. "Irma, fire!"

Irma jerked her hand free. "I'm water."

"Relax, he's with us!" Will stepped between Cornelia and Blunk. "He's a Passling. His name's Blunk."

"Well he can pass on by," Irma complained, pinching her nose. "He's reeks."

Hay Lin zipped out of a side tunnel. "There's a million halls down there! It's like a really cool maze! I mean if, you know, we weren't trapped in here and everything."

Caleb stood up, squeezing excess water out of his tan coat. Hay Lin squealed. "Hey! You didn't get eaten by that thing!"

Caleb raked his sopping bangs out of his eyes. "I'm talented that way. Can we go?"

Blunk jumped to his feet. "Take Blunk!" he pleaded. Seeing the disbelieving eyes of Caleb, Blunk turned to Hay Lin raising his hand imploringly. "Blunk knows tunnel! Secret way out!"

Hay Lin smiled uneasily. "He's kind of cute."

Cornelia snorted. "If you like toads. Why is it everything in this world is disgusting or creepy?"

"Guys!"

They raised their heads. Taranee sprinted towards them. "Incoming!"

The brownish guards had found a way around Cornelia's blockade. They were sliding down the chains hanging from the ceiling.

"Blunk," Will shouted, leaping into the air, "lead the way!"

Caleb grimaced and swept the little Passling into his arms. "That way!" Blunk pointed.

They ran – or flew – into the dank tunnel. It appeared to be a vacant prison corridor, filled with old cells, some with the iron bars hanging haphazardly off the hinges. The sounds of pursuit echoed behind them.

"They're catching up!" Will cried.

"I'll take care of it." Cornelia banked and raised her arms. "Earth!" Two iron gates clanged shut and a huge taproot sprung from the ground, wrapping around the bars.

"In there! In there!" Blunk yelled. When Caleb didn't move fast enough, the little Passling scrambled out of his arms and dashed into one of the cells. He lifted aside a plank of wood. There was a tiny hole in the wall, and it was barred. "Bars, no!"

"Great!" Caleb snapped. "We're trapped! That's what you get for trusting a smuggler!"

Cornelia arched an eyebrow at him as she landed. "Who are you again?"

Will jerked on the bars. "Cornelia! These are metal, can you do something?"

"Oh sure, what do you want me to do? Throw rocks at it and block the exit?"

Hay Lin's brow puckered in thought. "I have an idea. Taranee doesn't have enough control to melt these, but maybe we could break them with a hot and cold treatment."

A roar vibrated through the corridors. "Whatever you do," Caleb announced, withdrawing from the entrance, "you better do it quickly."

Hay Lin inhaled, and then blew on the bars. Little drops of ice formed on the metal. "Taranee, get it as hot as you can!"

Taranee knelt and closed her eyes. A yellow flame burst from her fingertip, flickering to white. She moved the flame to the bars. They hissed and popped.

There was an earsplitting crash. Caleb glanced anxiously at Taranee's slow work. He took a step back, jaw setting. "I'll hold them off as long as I can."

Will started. "What? No! You don't have any powers!"

Caleb paused by the entrance. He took a deep breath and turned to Will. "Guarding the Veil is more important than one rebel fighter. Forget what I said earlier. I was wrong. You'll make a great Guardian." He ran into the corridor. "Hey, Snake-man!"

Cornelia appeared by Will's shoulder. "Is he cute or what? And so sweet! You two aren't . . . you know?"

"Cornelia!" Irma growled.

"What?"

* * *

Taranee and Hay Lin broke through the bars. Blunk's tunnel led them, as promised, under the moat and out of the castle. Will hovered in the air, gazing back at the castle. It stood tall and spindly, highlighted by the full moon. For some reason, it reminded her of a sick old man.

"Will?" Irma's voice broke into Will's thoughts.

Will turned to the four girls, the four girls that had faced their own fears and crossed into another world to save her. "I'm going back for Caleb."

The girls banked to a halt, Taranee almost losing aviation completely.

"No!" Hay Lin twisted around, flying back to Will. "You're hurt and – and tired! And I fly better than you. Actually, chickens fly better than you. I'll go."

Tears unexpectedly welled in Will's eyes. She flung her arms around Hay Lin's neck. "Thank you for coming."

Hay Lin smiled. "That's what friends are for! Meet you back at the portal!"

"Be careful!"

* * *

Caleb careened around another corner, utterly lost. In retrospect, it didn't matter all that much. Cedric was going to catch him anyway. He was just trying to stall, give the Guardians time to escape. Of course, the fact that he didn't want to be caught might have also been an incentive.

"You can't run forever, rebel!"

Caleb's head perked up. An opening! He picked up the speed – anything was better than a labyrinth – and skidded to a halt. Loose pebbles bounced off the ledge into the unfathomable abyss. His jaw dropped.

A raspy laugh made him whirl around. Cedric lifted himself out of the narrow tunnel, stretching to his towering height. There was barely room on the ledge for the two of them. And there was no way out. Caleb's stomach sank as he ripped his eyes from the sheer walls to stare at the monster.

Cedric swished his tail, catching Caleb full in the abdomen, and knocked him into empty space. He fell.

A scream tore from Caleb's throat. The walls blurred and darkened. The other entrances – or exits as it were – disappeared in a rush.

Then something blue and white zoomed towards him. Two hands latched onto the collar of his coat, slowing his descent. Caleb blinked.

"Surprise!" A cheerful voice grunted. "Wow, you're heavy!"

Caleb craned his neck to look at his rescuer. They dipped. "Don't move! I don't have a good grip on you!" Another grunt. "I'm Hay Lin, by the way."

That loosed Caleb's tongue. "Yan Lin?"

"Yan Lin's my grandma. So do you have a girlfriend, 'cause I think Cornelia likes you."

As they flew out of the castle, Caleb sighed ruefully. The weirdest things always happened to him.

* * *

The electric blue portal reared into view, sizzling innocently above the swamp water. Cornelia made a face as she carefully lighted upon a gigantic thorny root. "So how exactly do monsters not find these things? I mean besides the fog."

"Maybe they hate swamps as much as humans do." Taranee hesitantly lowered herself beside Cornelia, slipped, and splashed into the murky water. She surfaced, coughing.

Cornelia raised an eyebrow. "Careful where you step."

Taranee rubbed water out of her eyes. "How is it," she grumbled, "you can fly like Mary Poppins while I've the grace of a frog?"

Cornelia shrugged. "I've been an ice skater since junior high. It's the same moves, just with wings."

Taranee groaned, taking Will's proffered hand. Will smiled slightly. "If you have the grace of a frog, I had the grace of an earthworm. It gets better."

Irma hovered above the portal, eyeing the random bolts of electricity warily. "I don't see Hay Lin yet."

Will helped Taranee up the thorny root. "She'll be here."

"Look out below!"

Splash!

"Sorry!" Hay Lin swept over their heads and hovered anxiously over a drenched Caleb. He pushed himself to his hands and knees, spitting the gray water out of his mouth. Hay Lin smiled sheepishly. "You know, if we're going to keep rescuing you, you might want to consider losing a few pounds."

Caleb stiffened. His eyes snapped down the water. "Where are we?" he asked in an oddly strained voice.

Cornelia rolled her eyes. "A swamp. Or do you prefer bogs around here? The word definitely has the creep-factor."

"This is the swamp along the eastern edge of the castle, isn't it?"

Irma glanced at Hay Lin. "It's near the castle. Not sure if it's east or what. Why do you ask?"

The water sloshed around Caleb, though he hadn't moved. He swallowed. "This swamp has a lot of deep water pockets."

Cornelia crossed her arms. "So?"

Hay Lin peered closely at the rippling water. "Hey guys? Does the water seem a bit darker to you –"

"Caleb!" cried a nasally voice.

Caleb's head snapped up as the panting Passling finally caught up with the Guardians. His eyes widened as he realized just who Blunk planned to jump. "Blunk! Don't!"

Blunk launched himself onto Caleb's back, knocking them both into the shallows. Caleb rolled to his feet, hauling Blunk into the air. "Run!" he cried.

The water underneath Caleb swelled and shifted. With a mighty roar a huge creature composed mostly of rock heaved itself out of the water, Caleb and Blunk precariously deposited on its head. Its single large eye rolled furiously.

Hay Lin screamed, swerving to miss the monster. There was a splash as poor Taranee lost her footing again.

"What is that thing?" Cornelia shrieked.

A huge stony fist smashed into the water, missing Irma by inches. She twisted, flying on her back, as she raised her arms. "Water!" Twin jets shot out from the swamp, rocketing into the creature's eye. It roared, flaying about angrily.

Will grabbed Cornelia's arm. "Caleb!"

Caleb had tossed Blunk into Hay Lin's outstretched arms, but then the monster had lurched out from under him and Caleb was thrown flat on his back. He clung to the rocky head doggedly.

Cornelia blanched. "He'll fall!"

"Cornelia," the blonde beauty turned to Will, "help me!"

Cornelia set her jaw. She gave a short nod.

"Irma! Hay Lin! Keep it busy!"

Irma gritted her teeth. "Sure thing. Water!"

Hay Lin took a deep breath, clutching Blunk closer, and zoomed between the creature's legs, blowing with all her might. A gust followed, spinning the monster like a top.

Will flew through the air, dodging the monster's distracted swipes. Cornelia was right behind her. "Caleb," Will cried, "stand up!"

Caleb staggered to his feet, raising his arms over his head. Will clasped one as Cornelia seized the other. They lifted him free.

"In the portal!" Taranee shouted as Hay Lin, Blunk still cowering in her arms, zipped into the portal. A fireball exploded from Taranee's fist, knocking the monster a step back. It didn't even singe its hide.

Will and Cornelia dove for the blue circle. Taranee shot off another fireball, but the monster merely growled. They hurtled through the portal. Blue light gave way to a cement wall looming ahead. The girls squeaked, dropped their load, and crashed into the wall. Cornelia sat up with a groan.

"Are you all right?" Hay Lin gushed from a corner. Blunk peered out from behind her legs as Taranee leapt through the portal.

"Will!"

Will stumbled to her feet, watching in horror as a huge stony fist reached through the blue portal, snagging Irma out of the air. It was just like what had happened before, to the boy, to Caleb. And there was Caleb, lying on the cement floor, gaping up at Irma. Then his head whipped around. "Will! Close the portal!"

The Heart of Candracar was in her hands. She couldn't remember grabbing it, but it didn't really matter. She aimed it at the blue portal. It sizzled, shrank, and then disappeared.

Thunk!

Irma shook her head. She gingerly extracted herself from the mound of rubble that had once been the monster's hand and ran her fingers through her hair, chest heaving.

Will started forward. "Irma? Are you –"

Irma flexed her arms and grinned, albeit shakily. "Yeah, I'm good."

Air rushed out of Will's lungs. Caleb caught her eye and smiled, approving. Perhaps Mrs. Lin and Caleb were right. Perhaps she was meant for this.

The Heart of Candracar pulsed reassuringly and the fairy outfits vanished.

* * *

"Caleb!" Yan Lin darted over the threshold and wrapped the boy in an enthusiastic hug.

He relaxed into her arms, a weary smile spreading across his face. "Yan Lin."

Yan Lin pulled away, wiping her glistening eyes. "Oh, what a surprise! How did you get here?"

"Ask your new Guardians."

"Guardians?" Yan Lin peered around Caleb's tall frame. "Will! Girls! What – What happened to your clothes?"

Hay Lin shrugged her shoulders sheepishly. "It's a long story, Grandma."

Yan Lin stared at them for a moment longer, and then abruptly turned around. "I'll go make some tea."

They told their tales over the hot drinks, Will beginning somewhat haltingly. When she came to the part of Phobos, Yan Lin gently laid her hand on Will's shoulder. "Let me see your arms. Hay Lin, I believe there's some hydrogen peroxide under the sink. Come over here dear, where the lighting's better."

Will was led to a table closer to the window. As Hay Lin handed her grandma the bottle, Yan Lin eyed Cornelia critically. "You had better let me take a look at that bruise, too, Cornelia."

Cornelia's hand flew to her jaw. "Bruise? It's bruising?"

"When we swung across the moat, Cornelia George-of-the-Jungled into the wall! Wham!" Hay Lin giggled.

Cornelia carefully prodded the swelling area. "Just as long as it's not permanent. We might've missed picture day, but that doesn't mean they won't hold make-ups."

Taranee placed her teacup on its saucer. "If that green frog-thing comes up in the girl's bathroom, I'm switching schools."

"Blunk, Taranee, his name is Blunk." Hay Lin looked up from scribbling on her palm. "Do you think he'll be okay down there?"

Cornelia groaned. "Only you could care about a smelly green monster, Hay Lin."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Irma said dismissively. "The sewers are probably his idea of paradise."

"Is it always going to be like this?" Will asked, watching as Irma described another fight sequence.

Yan Lin tossed a used tissue on the table. "Sometimes, yes. You will hate it, curse it even. You will want to give up; you are only girls after all. Then there will be those times when you wouldn't change it for the world. It's those times that will keep you going. You will face Phobos and you'll know, deep down in your stomach, it's not about heroics or powers, it's about this one defining moment that makes you who you are."

"Do you think we can do this? We're fourteen, just in high school. The worst we've ever been in is a schoolyard fight, and we're supposed to save worlds?"

Yan Lin sighed and rolled down Will's sleeve. "I know, and it hurts me to see my little Hay Lin part of this war. But, perhaps you can bring what we old, tired warriors could not. Youth, hope, a love for life."

"If they keep their passion," Caleb commented, appearing behind Yan Lin in dry clothes and leaning an elbow against the window of the Silver Dragon, "it could turn the tide." He flashed Yan Lin a grin. "Your granddaughter alone could take on a full regiment, once she's trained up a bit."

"Hey! Hey!" Hay Lin piped up from the table, waving her hand about. "Look what I figured out our initials spell! W-I-T-C-H!"

Will snorted. "Witch? Better than pixie."

* * *

So sorry everyone for taking so long to get this chapter out! But I have exciting news! The book I mentioned I was writing has been sent to an agency! I'm waiting to hear what they think, and if they like it, then they'll help me get it published! Imagine, me a real-life author! _squeals_

I sincerely hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you all for your support and encouragement! It means so much to me.

Oklina

_The End_


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